A PHOTOGRAPH of Oscar Pistorius's blood-stained prosthetic legs was used by his defence lawyer in an attempt to show the athlete was wearing them when he broke down a toilet door to get to the girlfriend he had fatally shot.

The image, showing the prosthetic limbs with white socks and stained with Reeva Steenkamp's blood up to the knee, was displayed by lawyer Barry Roux on a TV monitor at Pistorius's murder trial.

Mr Roux was trying to reinforce the Olympic athlete's claim that he shot the model by mistake on Valentine's Day last year and then desperately broke through a locked toilet door to help her.

The prosecution has attempted to cast doubt on some aspects of Pistorius's story, including his assertion that he was wearing his legs when he broke through the door using his cricket bat.

Mr Roux also cross- examined a police forensics expert for a second day in the Pretoria courtroom, and challenged JG Vermeulen's analysis of the bullet-marked toilet door.

Pistorius, 27, who vomited in court again yesterday, has said he shot Ms Steenkamp, 29, by mistake through the door, fearing there was an intruder in the house. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and three firearm-related offences.

The prosecution claims he intentionally killed her after an argument.

Minutely scrutinising almost every aspect of the police investigation, Mr Roux asked why missing wooden fragments from the door were not examined, why Pistorius's story was not seriously considered and tested by the police expert, and why there was not detailed microscopic analysis of the door and any fabrics on it.

He said the defence had evidence of sock fabric embedded in the wood which would show that, as Pistorius says, he had tried to kick through it wearing his prosthetics.

Mr Roux also showed a photograph of a part of the door which he said showed a mark one of Pistorius's prosthetics had made when he kicked it.

The trial continues.