PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) – Oscar Pistorius appeared in a South African court on Monday for a sentencing hearing after the double-amputee Olympian was convicted of murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Defense lawyer Barry Roux argued for some leniency and called a psychologist who evaluated Pistorius to testify.
The clinical psychologist, Prof. Jonathan Scholtz, said he did not think Pistorius would be able to testify at the sentencing hearings because he has psychological problems.
“His condition is severe,” Scholtz said. The psychologist, who interviewed Pistorius in 2014 during the runner’s murder trial, and again in May, also said of the latest assessments: “His mood was anxious and depressed.”
Prosecutors had depicted Pistorius as an arrogant figure with a sense of entitlement and a love of guns.