Judge approves prosecutor's suggestion to detain Pistorius at hospital for psychiatric evaluation

Today, a High Court judge ruled that Oscar Pistorius, who is currently on trial for the murder of his late girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, will have his evaluation at a mental-health hospital starting on May 26. The evaluation, which was recommended by the prosecutors, was to determine whether Pistorius could be held criminally responsible for his girlfriend's murder. Steenkamp was fatally shot by Pistorius through a bathroom door on Valentine's Day last year, Bloomberg said.

According to Judge Thokozile Masipa, Pistorius will be further evaluated by four psychologists and psychiatrists at the Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital. Moreover, Pistorius is to remain at the facility for mental health evaluation for up to 30 days.

"(The assessment will determine) whether the accused, by reason of mental illness or mental defect, was at the time of the commission of the offense criminally responsible for the offenses charged, whether he was capable of appreciating the wrongfulness of his act or of acting in accordance with an appreciation of the wrongfulness of his act," Masipa said.

She also said that the court will reconvene on June 30.

Bloomberg said Nel was forced to petition for Pistorius' mental health evaluation after it claimed that the testimony of forensic psychiatrist Merryll Vorster at the Johannesburg-based University of the Witwatersrand suggested that the defense is preparing a third explanation for the fatal shooting. Nel had questions why Pistorius' lawyers had asked Vorster for an evaluation weeks after he had given his testimony in the trial.

Bloomberg noted that Pistorius' original argument was that he shot Steenkamp in self-defense after initially thinking that the person behind the bathroom door was an intruder. Under cross-examination, however, Pistorius claimed that the gun was fired accidentally.

The news agency said that should the evaluation declare Pistorius as mentally incompetent, he would have to submit to psychiatric treatment and will not stand trial on murder and three separate firearm charges. Pistorius could face 25 years in jail at minimum if found guilty of murder.

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Oscar Pistorius Trial, Oscar Pistorius defense, Oscar Pistorius, Oscar Pistorius mental health

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