Oscar Pistorius's defence lawyer Barry Roux has compared the Paralympic champion to a woman who shoots her abusive husband.

Roux made the comparison during his closing argument at the High Court in Pretoria when referring to the 27-year-old's insecurities over having both of his legs amputated as a child.

Pistorius has been accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, whom he shot through a bathroom door at his home in the early hours of Valentine's Day last year.

Roux told the court that the athlete snapped in the same way that a woman of domestic abuse would when he believed that an intruder had entered his home prior to shooting Steenkamp.

Roux said: "You have the effect of the slow burn of insecurities over many years. You're an athlete. You're trained to react to a sound, and he stands there now with his finger ready to fire, and then... (Roux slaps his hand on the desk to mimic the sound Pistorius claimed he heard)."

Yesterday, state prosecutor Gerrie Nel described the Paralympic sprinter as a "deceitful witness" and claimed that Pistorius's version of events are "ridiculous".

Pistorius denies murder by claiming that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder when he fired four shots through the door.