Oscar trial: Prostheses an extension

"I'm a bit shy about them, a bit embarrassed about them when I don't have them on," he said.

Paralympian Oscar Pistorius sees his prostheses as an extension of his body, he told the High Court in Pretoria on Monday during his murder trial.

"I don't want anybody touching them," he said to questioning from his lawyer Barry Roux.

Roux had asked Pistorius why he covered them up when he put them next to his bag at athletic events.

"I'm a bit shy about them, a bit embarrassed about them when I don't have them on," he said.

Roux also asked him about the effect his competing in international sporting events had on his social life, friends, and family.

He replied: "Finding time to speak to friends and family is really difficult,."

Pistorius is accused of the murder of model and law graduate Reeva Steenkamp on February 14 last year.

He is also charged with illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, and two counts of discharging a firearm in public.

He allegedly fired a shot from a Glock pistol under a table at a Johannesburg restaurant in January 2013.

On September 30, 2012 he allegedly shot through the open sunroof of a car with his 9mm pistol while driving with friends in Modderfontein.