Pistorius’ team blame ‘primal instincts’

Oscar Pistorius’ "primal instincts" kicked in when he shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp because he was in a vulnerable and fearful state, his defence lawyer said at the athlete’s murder trial yesterday.

The judge in the trial has announced she will deliver her verdict on September 11.

Double amputee Pistorius, 27, once a national icon for reaching the pinnacle of sport, is accused of murdering Steenkamp, a law graduate and model, at his home in Pretoria on Valentine’s Day last year.