Report: Pistorius Mentally Fit to Stand Trial

(ATR) A psychiatric assessment of Olympian Oscar Pistorius found the athlete was not mentally incapacitated when he fatally shot Reeva Steenkamp.

The results of the assessment were revealed to the court on Monday when the Paralympic gold medalist's trial resumed following a month-long suspension for the evaluation.

An independent panel of doctors concluded Pistorius did not suffer from a mental defect or mental illness at the time of the shooting that would have "rendered him criminally not responsible of the offenses charged."

The report added that the double-amputee was "capable of appreciating the wrongfulness of his act."

On May 20, Judge Thokozile Masipa ruled that further tests were needed on the embroiled Olympian to support testimony of an anxiety disorder.

Ifthe doctors had deemed Pistorius mentally incapacitated during the shooting, the trial would have promptly ended in a verdict of not guilty by reason of mental illness.

The prosecution and defense both told the Pretoria High Court they accept the report's conclusions.

The defense then resumed its case, calling Pistorius' orthopedic surgeon Dr. Gerald Versfeld to the stand as well as acoustics expert Ivan Lin.

Telegraph reporter Andrew Marszal says Lin was called to explain the "contradicting accounts" from neighbors of Pistorius, who claim to have heard male and female screams at the time of the shooting.

"The act of listening is an intellectual event," Lin testified. "Typically, one can differentiate a male and female scream, but one cannot say reliably, without exceptions."

The trial resumes Tuesday with the prosecution's cross-examination of Lin.

On March 3, the Pistorius pleaded not guilty to one charge of murder and a firearms charge associated with Steenkamp's killing. If convicted, the Olympic sprinter faces 25 years in jail.

Written byNicole Bennett

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