Pistorius was not mentally ill when he shot girlfriend, experts conclude

Source: Guardian/AP

A panel of mental health experts has concluded that Oscar Pistorius was not suffering from a mental illness when he killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his home last year, the chief prosecutor at the athlete's murder trial said Monday.

Pistorius's trial resumed after a break of one month during which a psychologist and three psychiatrists also assessed whether the double-amputee runner was capable of understanding the wrongfulness of his act when he shot Steenkamp through a closed toilet door.

The panel's reports were submitted to Judge Thokozile Masipa, and prosecutor Gerrie Nel referred to key parts of the conclusions, noting that the experts believed Pistorius was "capable of appreciating the wrongfulness of his act" when he killed Steenkamp.

The evaluation came after a psychiatrist, Dr Merryll Vorster, testified for the defence that Pistorius, who has said he feels vulnerable because of his disability and long-held worry about crime, had an anxiety disorder that could have contributed to the killing in the early hours of 14 February 2013. He testified that he opened fire after mistakenly thinking there was a dangerous intruder in the toilet.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/30/oscar-pistorius-mental-illness-reeva-steenkamp