A friend of Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius has revealed that the sprinter shot him in the foot by accident while in a restaurant.

The 26-year-old, who has been charged with the premeditated murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his home in Pretoria last week, has been accused of killing the 29-year-old model by shooting her three times through a bathroom door.

The sprinter's friend Kevin Lerena has revealed that the South African native accidentally shot him in the toe while looking at a gun during a meal in a crowded restaurant a month ago.

"A South African friend dining with us brought the pistol with him and Oscar asked if he could have a look at it," Lerena told The Sun. "He took a bullet out of the chamber but seemed to forget there were more in the magazine.

"He pulled the trigger thinking it would just click but it went off and gave everyone in the restaurant a shock. Oscar was incredibly apologetic and phoned me for days after saying sorry and that it would never happen again."

Meanwhile, at Pretoria Magistrates' Court, a statement read by defence lawyer Barry Roux on behalf of Pistorius has claimed that the athlete assumed that an intruder had entered his home when he fired shots, which resulted in the death of Steenkamp.