Oscar Pistorius' murder trial has ended early again today after he was overcome with emotion.

The athlete who denies murder broke down in floods of tears describing the moment when he realised he had killed his girlfriend.

He wailed loudly with his head in his hands when he spoke about finding Reeva Steenkamp's body behind a locked toilet door.

After a short break, defence lawyer Barry Roux told the court his client could not continue.

In dramatic scenes, Pistorius described finding his girlfriend's body in the toilet of his home - wailing in court "She was everything".

His sister Aimee and one of his lawyers then rushed through the courtroom to his side before the judge was forced to halt proceedings.

The athlete's emotional breakdown failed to move June Steenkamp - Reeva's mother -who stared, stony-faced at the defendant, as he was consoled by family and friends.

Earlier, the athlete took his prosthetic legs off in court to to relive the moments leading to, during and after the shooting on Valentine's Day last year.

He described how he begged Reeva to call the police and grabbed his gun in the darkness after thinking he had heard an intruder in the bathroom of his home.

He told the court that just hours before he shot Reeva dead she had been doing yoga at the foot of his bed, stopping from time to time to kiss him affectionately.

Pistorius recounted the events of the evening in fine detail as he sought to persuade the judge that Reeva's death was a terrible mistake.

The final evening

He described how Reeva was cooking him dinner and he had been surfing the internet, and later he had a bath.

He said the pair then had dinner together at about 7pm. After dinner they sat at the dining room table and "chatted about our days".

"Just before 8pm I came into my room and I opened the balcony doors - it was very humid".

Pistorius (27) was "dripping with tears" as he gave evidence for the second time at his murder trial in Pretoria, South Africa. He described the start of their relationship and read out a series of instant messaging texts, detailing its ups and downs.

During another emotional morning in court, he also denied details relating to firearms charges against him.

In one of the texts read out in court by Pistorius, Reeva denies being a "flirt" and in another she denies being a "stripper and a ho".

Reeva also sent Pistorius a message saying: "I'm scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me and how you will act towards me."

In a reply to Reeva, Pistorius admitted to feeling "jealous and insecure".

Describing a fight at an engagement party he told the court "I just think it was a bad hour in our relationship".

Reeva's mother June attended the hearing along with Reeva's friend Gina Myers, who was wearing tags that bore a black-and-white print of the model. The athlete's voice faltered as he read a series of loving messages where they traded affectionate pet names.

The pet names included "amazballs", "baba", "boo", "angel" and "babycakes".

One text from Reeva to Pistorius read "I only have eyes for you". In another she wrote "I want to kiss you and feel your arms around my neck".

He also described buying Reeva flowers and chocolates.

Describing the start of their relationship Pistorius told the court how they began dating at a sports award ceremony.

He said "I really didn't think that she would go with me...I phoned her and she said she would go with me. After the evening we sat speaking until 2 or 3 in the morning. She was a fantastic date".

Pistorius said he believed that he was "more into" Reeva than she was into him.

"I was very keen on Reeva. I was besotted with her" he said.

Reeva subjected to "hate campaign"

Pistorius also explained how Reeva was subjected to a "hate campaign" after she began dating him, including people who set up fake social media accounts. "She had her own stress, on top of what I had to deal with," Pistorius told the court.

Speaking from the court reporter Alex Crawford said "Often he's literally dripping with tears, he's using his handkerchief to mop his tears. Reeva's mother June has been staring steadfastly ahead".

Pistorius is expected to field questions all day and describe events relating to the death of his girlfriend.

Pistorius shot Reeva (29) dead in the bathroom of his home but denies murder, claiming that he thought the model was an intruder. He also denies illegally possessing ammunition and two further counts related to shooting a gun in public in separate incidents prior to the killing.

Yesterday, Pistorius slumped on the floor of the dock after testifying for most of the day, unable to continue because he was too exhausted. He wept and trembled his way through his first day of defence evidence, describing how panic attacks had left him hiding in cupboards since the shooting.

He told the court he woke "smelling blood", was unable to sleep and was on anti-depressants and sedatives.

And in dramatic scenes in Pretoria, the day ended early with Pistorius sitting on the floor of the dock with his psychologist wiping away tears and stroking his face.

The athlete's family formed a protective shield around him as he composed himself before eventually leaving the building.