A courtroom has been reduced to tears after Reeva Steenkamp's cousin described the moment she learned she had been shot dead by Oscar Pistorius as the "worst ever experience".
Kim Martin, the first prosecution witness, recounted the day she found out her cousin had been killed, saying: "It was for me, the end of the world.
"It's ruined our whole family. It's ruined Auntie June and Uncle Barry..Reeva was everything to them."
Ms Martin told of how when she initially heard the "breaking news" of the shooting on her car radio she had hoped Pistorius was "cheating" on her cousin.
Sky's Alex Crawford, at the High Court in Pretoria, described Ms Martin's face as "a picture of pain" as she laid bare the extent of the family's grief at the death of Ms Steenkamp.
June Steenkamp placied her hand on her husband Barry's shoulder, who also appeared to be crying, as Ms Martin recalled tales of their daughter's childhood and revealed how she and most members of the extended family were either still having trauma counselling and therapy, or were on medication.
Ms Martin told the court when she asked Ms Steenkamp's parents if it was ok she spoke in court, they gave her their blessing and said: "You must be Reeva's voice."
Crawford said: "She spat out the words through large sobs and tears. There were a large group of people in the courtroom who were crying too. A very harrowing, heartbroken testimony."
Earlier, prosecutor Gerrie Nel said anything but a prison sentence for Pistorius for killing his girlfriend would be "shockingly inappropriate".
He resumed his relentless cross examination of probation officer Annette Vergeer, a defence witness, who on Tuesday told the athlete's sentencing hearing that Pistorius would be "broken as a person" if he was jailed.
Mr Nel said to place the runner under house arrest and sentence him to community work for three years as she had recommended would be "too light" a punishment.
The prosecutor also raised the prospect of a public backlash if the sentence for the double-amputee Olympian was not harsh enough, saying the court had to guard against people "taking the law into their own hands".
"Our courts and society value human life," he told Ms Vergeer, and asked her: "Don't you think society wants a heavy punishment?"
"You're recommending house arrest... but the accused could be allowed to pursue his athletics, train, find a job and go to work and return to his house..."
"That this accused be sentenced to three years correctional supervision, with 16 hours a month correctional duties is shockingly inappropriate. It cannot even be considered," Mr Nel said.
Pistorius, 27, was convicted last month for killing Ms Steenkamp on Valentine's Day, 2013.
The court heard yesterday that Pistorius paid 6,000 rand (£350) per month to the Steenkamps.
He also offered Ms Steenkamp's family 375,000 rand (£21,305) as compensation which Mr Nel said the Steenkamps had rejected as "blood money" - and had decided to hand back the monthly payments to help them with their rent and living expenses.
Referring to a statement released today through the family lawyer, defence lawyer Barry Roux told the court the Steenkamps intended to pay back Pistorius "every cent", and also confirmed they would not be pursuing a civil claim against Pistorius for killing their daughter.
Pistorius could receive a fine and a suspended jail sentence or up to 15 years in prison after being found guilty of culpable homicide, the equivalent of manslaughter in the UK.
The sentencing hearing resumes on Thursday.
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