Oscar Pistorius murder trial

The trial of Oscar Pistorius resumed on Monday
after psychiatrists found that he did not have a
mental disorder or defect that would have
affected his behaviour on the night he shot his
girlfriend dead at his home in Pretoria.
The double amputee sports icon stands accused
of murdering Reeva Steenkamp on Valentines'
Day last year.
Last month, the South African prosecutor asked
for Pistorius to be sent for a mental evaluation
after a psychiatrist told the Olympic and
Paralympic track star's murder trial he had an
anxiety disorder.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued he wanted to
prevent the 27-year-old sprinter, who faces life in
prison if convicted of murdering his girlfriend
Reeva Steenkamp, from later appealing on the
basis of a disturbed mental condition.
The court had heard how Pistorius has an anxiety
disorder brought on by an unstable childhood and
the "traumatic assault" of having his lower legs
amputated as a baby.
Mr Pistorius has been a day patient of Pretoria's
Weskoppies psychiatric hospital since May 26,
and has been assessed for seven hours a day.
Health experts were asked to determine whether
his mental health had an effect on him when he
killed Ms Steenkamp. The key findings of the
panel's report were that Oscar Pistorius knew
right from wrong at the time of the shooting and
did not suffer from any disorder of defect that
affected his ability to act accordingly:
The State alleges the track athlete deliberately
shot his girlfriend on Valentine's Day last year
after the couple had an argument.
Mr Pistorius insists he killed the 29-year-old law
graduate and model accidentally after mistaking
her for an intruder hiding behind a closed toilet
door.
During the trial, the Pistorius defence called
dozens of witnesses, including Johan Stander, the
first man to arrive at the crime scene after the
shooting.
He gave a heart-wrenching account of finding the
"broken" athlete coming down the stairs, holding
his dead girlfriend in his arms.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel completed his cross-
examination of the paralympian on April 15 after
seven court days. Nel summed up by alleging
that Oscar Pistorius armed himself "with the sole
purpose of shooting and killing" his girlfriend
Reeva Steenkamp.
The athlete has been accused by Mr Nel of
"concocting" his evidence as he took to the
witness stand in his defence against murder
charges for Reeva Steenkamp's death on
Valentines' Day last year.
Prosecutor Nel's relentless questioning has drawn
tears and angry replies from the world-famous
double amputee sprinter, who insists he shot
Steenkamp four times by accident through a
locked bathroom door.
Jumping in a seemingly haphazard way from one
event or piece of evidence to another, Nel finished
his interrogation with the dramatic accusation
that Pistorius knew exactly what he was doing
when he fired the lethal shots.
Pistorius claims he fatally shot girlfriend Reeva
Steenkamp by mistake thinking she was an
intruder in his home. His testimony is crucial to
his defence against the murder charge because it
allows the judge to determine his credibility.
There is no trial by jury in South Africa so
Pistorius has the chance to convince Judge
Thokozile Masipa and her two assessors that he
did not intend to kill his girlfriend, and is not
guilty of murder.
Over the past four months, the prosecution has
laid out its case against the athlete, claiming he
killed Reeva after an argument.
The judge also heard from Colonel Schoombie
Van Rensburg, the first policeman to arrive at
Pistorius' home, who revealed forensic blunders
that could hamper the case.