The judge at the Oscar Pistorius trial has ruled that the double-amputee will be sent for psychiatric evaluation after an expert said that he suffered from an anxiety disorder that gave him ‘hyper-vigilance’.
Psychiatrist Dr Merryll Vorster, for the defence, said that Pistorius’ condition is linked to his disability and meant that he was prone to fight, rather than take flight, in the presence of perceived danger.
If Pistorius’ condition is found to have played a role in the fatal shooting of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his home on February 14, 2013, then he may escape a murder charge.
Pistorius says he mistook Miss Steenkamp for an intruder when he shot her through the closed door of a toilet cubicle. Prosecutors say he killed her in anger after an argument.
