The chief prosecutor at the athlete's murder trial referred to key parts of the conclusions today as the hearing resumed following a month's break.
During this time, 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.
A panel of health experts has concluded Oscar
Pistorius (pictured listening to evidence today) was not suffering from a
mental illness when he killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, his trial
heard today
Back in court: After a six-week break, Oscar Pistorius arrives in court in Pretoria to resume his murder trial
'At the time of the alleged offences, the accused did not suffer from a mental disorder or mental defect that affected his ability to distinguish between the rightful or wrongful nature of his deeds,' Mr Nel read from a report submitted to the court.
Both Mr Nel and defence lawyer Barry Roux accepted the findings of the panel of psychiatrists and psychologists after 30 days of evaluation.
The trial promptly resumed as Mr Roux called surgeon Gerald Versfeld, who amputated Pistorius' lower legs when he was 11 months old, to testify about the runner's disability and the difficulty and pain he endured while walking or standing on his stumps without support.
Pistorius was born without fibulas, the slender bones that run from below the knee to the ankle.
At Roux's invitation, Judge Masipa and her two legal assessors left the dais to closely inspect the stumps of Pistorius as he sat on a bench.
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, a
29-year-old model
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel has alleged that
Pistorius, 27, killed Steenkamp after a Valentine's Day argument, and
has portrayed the Olympic athlete as a hothead with a love of guns and
an inflated sense of entitlement
The athlete was on his stumps when he
killed Steenkamp, and his defense team has argued that he was more
likely to try to confront a perceived danger rather than flee because of
his limited ability to move without prostheses.
Versfeld noted that Pistorius' disability made him 'vulnerable in a dangerous situation.'
During cross examination, Nel questioned Versfeld's objectivity and raised the possibility that Pistorius could have run away from a perceived intruder on the night of the shooting.
He also said Pistorius rushed back to his bedroom after the shooting and made other movements that indicated he was not as hampered as Versfeld was suggesting.
Versfeld noted that Pistorius' disability made him 'vulnerable in a dangerous situation.'
During cross examination, Nel questioned Versfeld's objectivity and raised the possibility that Pistorius could have run away from a perceived intruder on the night of the shooting.
He also said Pistorius rushed back to his bedroom after the shooting and made other movements that indicated he was not as hampered as Versfeld was suggesting.
Oscar Pistorius sits in the dock during his ongoing murder trial in Pretoria, South Africa, today
Pistorius speaks with his defence lawyer Barry Roux in the dock during his ongoing murder trial
The door of the bathroom of South African
Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius with the bullet holes in it is shown
as evidence in the courtroom during a break in proceedings in the
ongoing murder trial
Later in the hearing, the judge said
she was 'very unhappy' after the prosecution said they were unable to
produce a piece of evidence - an electrical cord - from Pistorius'
house.
The psychiatric evaluation came after a psychiatrist, Dr. Merryll Vorster, testified for the defense 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 February 14, 2013.
He testified that he opened fire after mistakenly thinking there was a dangerous intruder in the toilet.
Mr Nel has alleged that Pistorius, 27, killed Steenkamp after a Valentine's Day argument, and has portrayed the Olympic athlete as a hothead with a love of guns and an inflated sense of entitlement.
The psychiatric evaluation came after a psychiatrist, Dr. Merryll Vorster, testified for the defense 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 February 14, 2013.
He testified that he opened fire after mistakenly thinking there was a dangerous intruder in the toilet.
Mr Nel has alleged that Pistorius, 27, killed Steenkamp after a Valentine's Day argument, and has portrayed the Olympic athlete as a hothead with a love of guns and an inflated sense of entitlement.
Pistorius (pictured arriving at court today) was
evaluated as an outpatient at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital in
Pretoria, the South African capital. He has been staying at the upscale
home of his uncle
South Africa's Olympic sprint star Oscar
Pistorius and his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp during the Feather
Awards held at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg on November 4, 2012
But he requested an independent inquiry into Pistorius' state of mind, based on concern the defense would argue Pistorius was not guilty because of mental illness.
Pistorius faces 25 years to life in prison if found guilty of premeditated murder, and could also face years in prison if convicted of murder without premeditation or negligent killing. He is free on bail.
Pistorius was evaluated as an outpatient at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital in Pretoria, the South African capital. He has been staying at the upscale home of his uncle.
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