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Psychiatrists Find Oscar Pistorius Had No Mental Disorder At The Time Of Girlfriend’s Shooting & Killing

Psychiatrists Find Oscar Pistorius Had No Mental Disorder At The Time Of Girlfriend’s Shooting & Killing

South African Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius talks to his defence lawyer Barry Roux (L) during his murder trial in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria June 30, 2014. CREDIT: REUTERS/IHSAAN HAFFEJEE/POOL
South African Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius talks to his defence lawyer Barry Roux (L) during his murder trial in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria June 30, 2014.
CREDIT: REUTERS/IHSAAN HAFFEJEE/POOL

Oscar Pistorius, the South African track star on trial for the shooting murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp has been determined not have been suffering from a mental condition that would have impaired his ability to distinguish between right and wrong at the time she was killed. This according to a psychiatric report presented to the court on Monday, June 30th.

Pistorius, an Olympic and Paralympic sprinter, has admitted to shooting dead his model girlfriend but maintains he mistook her for an intruder hiding in his toilet.

The trial, which began in March, took a month-long break in May, to allow the 27-year-old to undergo a mental evaluation at Pretoria’s Weskoppies hospital as an outpatient after a forensic psychologist brought by the defense testified that Pistorius had an anxiety disorder.

Judge Thokozile Masipa said it was important to find out whether or not the condition affected his criminal responsibility.

“At the time of the alleged offences, the accused did not suffer from a mental disorder or mental defect that affected his ability to distinguish between the rightful or wrongful nature of his deeds,” Prosecutor Gerrie Nel read from a report submitted to the court.

Both Nel and defense lawyer Barry Roux accepted the findings of a panel of psychiatrists and psychologists after 30 days of evaluation.

During the trial, prosecutors have tried to paint a picture of a self-obsessed Pistorius who knowingly killed his law graduate girlfriend as she cowered behind a locked bathroom door.

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Pistorius could face a life sentence if found guilty of the shooting on Valentine’s Day last year.

Pistorius competed against able-bodied sprinters on carbon-fiber prosthetics, becoming one of the most recognized names in athletics. Besides a clutch of Paralympic medals, he reached the semi-finals of the 400m at the London 2012 Olympics.

Culled From Reuters

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