Oscar Pistorius to be sent for psychiatric

          Oscar Pistorius sits in the dock during his ongoing murder trial, in Pretoria on Monday. Picture: REUTERS

PROSECUTOR Gerrie Nel brought an application for Oscar Pistorius to be sent for psychiatric observation before the lunch break on Tuesday.

This was following evidence by defence forensic psychiatrist Merryll Vorster in which she confirmed she had diagnosed the Blade Runner with general anxiety disorder.

On Monday Dr Vorster testified that she had diagnosed Pistorius with the disorder earlier this month.

Dr Vorster said that if Pistorius had acted with the intention of killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp after an argument, as put forward by the state, he would have been anxious about losing the relationship.

She also told the court that while Mr Pistorius would have known he was anxious, he would not have known he had a disorder before the diagnosis and would have had smaller triggers for anxiety than people without the disorder.

Mr Nel argued on Tuesday that, in terms of section 78 of the Criminal Procedure Act, any indication that mental disorder may have played a part in Mr Pistorius’s actions on the night of February 14 last year, when he shot Steenkamp, left the court with no choice but to refer the Paralympian for observation.

Mr Pistorius’s counsel, Barry Roux, opposed the application, claiming it was a ruse by the state to obtain a second opinion.

Judge Thokozile Masipa adjourned the court for the day and would make a ruling on the state’s application on Wednesday morning.