PRETORIA (Reuters) – A South African court on
Wednesday ordered Olympic and Paralympic
track star Oscar Pistorius to undergo
evaluation for mental illness, further delaying
a murder trial that has already stretched into
its 32nd day.
The state had asked for the evaluation after a
psychiatrist told the court this week that
Pistorius, who is on trial for the murder of his
girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last year, suffered
from an anxiety disorder.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel has argued he wanted to
prevent the 27-year-old sprinter, who faces
life in prison if convicted, from later appealing
on the basis of a disturbed mental condition.
Defence lawyer Barry Roux had argued against
the motion, saying it was "premature" to have
the evaluation done now, as he planned to call
other witnesses.
But Judge Thokozile Masipa ruled that a mental
assessment would ensure that Pistorius gets a
fair trial.
Masipa said the court would hand down the
details of the assessment on Tuesday, adding it
would be preferable for him to undergo the
evaluation as an outpatient.
Pistorius has denied he killed Steenkamp in
cold blood, saying he shot four times at the
toilet door of his luxury Pretoria home to
protect himself from what he thought was an
intruder.
Pistorius competed against able-bodied
sprinters on carbon-fibre prosthetics,
becoming one of the most recognised names in
athletics. He won a clutch of Paralympic
medals and reached the semi-finals of the
400m at the London 2012 Olympics.
