The judge in the trial of South African
athlete Oscar Pistorius is due to rule on a
prosecution application for him to undergo
a 30-day mental observation.
The request followed testimony from a
psychiatrist who said that Mr Pistorius
suffered from an anxiety disorder.
The BBC's Andrew Harding in Pretoria says
there is now the possibility of a lengthy delay
in the case.
The double-amputee Paralympian denies
intentionally shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva
Steenkamp last year.
Mr Pistorius says he accidentally shot her
through the toilet door in a state of panic,
mistaking the 29-year-old model and law
graduate for an intruder.
Psychiatrist Merryll Vorster told the court that
the athlete had had an anxiety disorder since
childhood and was "anxious" about violent
crime.
His actions on Valentine's Day last year
"should be seen in context of his anxiety", she
said.
'Danger to society'
If the prosecution request is granted, Mr
Pistorius may spend up to 30 days in a state
mental health institution for observation and
assessment of his mental health.
The athlete has described the prosecution
move as "a joke", insisting that Monday's
evidence from Dr Vorster had "gone well", our
correspondent says.
But the prosecution argues that her testimony
is further proof that the athlete is changing his
defence – from putative self-defence, to an
accidental shooting, to something now linked
to his state of mind, he says.
The defence opposed the application before
the court adjourned on Monday.
BBC'S correspondent says that court sources
have indicated that it is unlikely that Judge
Thokozile Masipa will grant the prosecution its
request.
