Chilling details emerge of how Van Breda family was slaughtered

The fatal injuries to members of the Van Breda family who were murdered with an axe have been revealed in a South African court.

Former Perth schoolboy Henri Van Breda is on trial in Cape Town, accused of killing his parents and younger brother and trying to kill his sister with an axe at their luxury home.

A pathologist told the court his father had no defensive injuries and was most likely caught unaware from behind.

His younger brother and mother had wounds on their fingers indicating they had tried to block the strikes from the axe, the court heard.

The expert witness concluded they all died from head injuries.

The 22-year-old former West Australian has pleaded not guilty to the murders, telling a South African High Court a "laughing masked intruder" was responsible for the attack in which three family members were killed.

• 'Weirdest ever': Court hears Van Breda 'giggling' in call for help after parent's murder

• House of horrors: Van Breda trial visits scene of grisly axe attack

The emergency operator who took the call recently told the court it was the "weirdest ever" and at first thought it was a prank.

The Van Breda family moved back to South Africa in 2014 after spending seven years in Perth.