Pistorius ‘should be placed under psychiatric care’

The chief prosecutor in the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius has said the athlete should be placed under psychiatric observation after an expert called by the defence said Pistorius has an anxiety disorder.

Judge Thokozile Masipa has not yet ruled on the request.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said he had no other option but to ask for a study of Pistorius’s mental health following testimony by a psychiatrist, who said the double-amputee athlete’s anxiety could have shaped the way he responded to perceived threats.