New forensic evidence claims Oscar Pistorius attacked his lover Reeva Steenkamp with a cricket bat before shooting her dead

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Dramatic new evidence emerged today that claims to show Oscar Pistorius attacked his lover with a cricket bat before shooting her dead.

The Paralympian told his trial that he accidentally killed Reeva Steenkamp after mistaking her for an intruder who was lurking in his toilet, but forensic experts now believe two injuries on the model's back match the tip of the bat. Marks on the ripped and twisted handle also suggest there was a struggle between the pair.

Pistorius is currently serving the remainder of his five-year manslaughter sentence under house arrest and he stays at his uncle's home in Pretoria.

He was cheered by his supporters, most of whom were dressed in white, when he left the court earlier this week for a hearing and navigated his way through a scrum of reporters.

A leader of the supporters, Don Hassett, appealed for a lenient sentence for Pistorius.

'He knows it was wrong and he has admitted that but the media has generated hatred against Oscar,' Mr Hasset told reporters. Before the proceedings a group of supporters gathered inside the courtroom and prayed for the athlete.

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