The murder trial of Oscar Pistorius resumes on Monday in a Pretoria with a psychiatric assessment that he was not mentally incapacitated when he shot his girlfriend to death.
Oscar Pistorius in court
This was coming after a 30-day break in which the Olympic sprinter underwent psychiatric evaluation.
Gerrie Nel, the Prosecutor said the results of the assessment were revealed in court on Monday when the Olympic sprinter’s trial resumed after a month-long break for the evaluation.
He quoted a report by psychiatrists who tested Pistorius for 30 days that the finding by an independent panel of doctors, said “Pistorius did not suffer from a mental defect or mental illness at the “time of committing the offence.’’
Nel said the report added that Pistorius was capable of appreciating the wrongfulness of his act.
The 27-year-old South African has been on trial since March 3 on charges of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 29, in February 2013.
Judge Thokozile Masipa ordered his mental health be evaluated after a psychiatrist testified Pistorius was suffering from generalised anxiety disorder at the time he shot and killed Steenkamp.
If found guilty of premeditated murder, he could face a life sentence, or spend at least 25 years in prison.
