Oscar Pistorius will begin psychological testing next week.
The Paralympian will undergo daily assessments at Weskoppies psychiatric hospital in Pretoria, South Africa. as an outpatient for a month from Monday (26.05.14) to establish his mental state when he killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last February, the judge presiding over his murder trial ruled today (20.05.14).
The decision from Judge Thokozile Masipa comes after a defence witness, forensic psychiatrist Merryl Vorster, said the athlete – who insists he shot the model in the mistaken belief she was an intruder – suffered from Generalised Anxiety Disorder (Gad).
The judge said four appointed psychiatrists would "inquire into whether the accused by reason of mental illness or mental defect was at the time of the commission of the offence criminally responsible for the offence as charged" and the team would decide whether he is "capable of appreciating the wrongfulness of his act".
The prosecution had pushed for the testing after hearing evidence from the witness that Pistorius was a "danger to society" but the move was opposed by the defence.
If Pistorius is found to suffer from a mental illness, he cannot be held criminally responsible for murdering Reeva and would be found not guilty by reason of "mental illness or intellectual disability"
Oscar Pistorius to undergo psychological tests
