Oscar Pistorius Trial: Week 9, Thursday 3 July 2014

Sports scientist Wayne Derman will continue with his testimony in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial on Thursday.

Derman, a defence witness, told the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday that he perceived Pistorius as a very anxious person.

Parts of the psychological and psychiatric reports on Pistorius were read out in court. The court later prohibited the publication and broadcasting of other parts of the reports.

Judge Thokozile Masipa made the ruling after learning that journalists and on-line and social media had already begun publishing details of the reports.

Law expert, Lawrence Curlewis says any publication of intimate details from the report could be damaging. “The purpose of the referral in the first instance was obviously to determine if he could be held criminally liable of a mental defect or not at the time of the incident.”

The court also heard that Pistorius is suffering from post-traumatic distress disorder after shooting his girlfriend dead on Valentine’s Day last year and is at risk of committing suicide.

The diagnosis was contained in a psychological report read to the court by defence lawyer Barry Roux.

– By