Oscar Pistorius removed his prostheses and hobbled on his stumps in a South African courtroom on Wednesday (15th June) as part of his defence team's argument that the double-amputee athlete, convicted of murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, is a vulnerable man who deserves leniency when he is sentenced.

Oscar Pistorius' defence lawyer Barry Roux asked the Paralympic athlete to remove his prosthetic legs in court today, a demonstartion that drew gasps from some onlookers in the courtroom.

Walking in court on his stumps while dressed in sportswear emblazoned with the logos of his former sponsor, Nike, Pistorius was unsteady at times, holding onto wooden desks as he made his way back to his seat.

He then returned to a bench where he sat alone, head bowed, and wiped away tears.

Judge Masipa will deliver Pistorius' sentence on July 6th.

Pistorius is currently under house arrest and awaiting a new sentence after an appeals court overturned an initial manslaughter conviction against him and changed that to murder for shooting Steenkamp at his home in 2013.