Dr. Jonathan Scholtz said Pistorius was suffering from “major depression” as he faces a 15-year jail term for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and that a jail term would not be “constructive.”
“Since the offense, he has developed a serious psychiatric condition which has become worse over the past two years,” Scholtz told the court.
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Meantime, state prosecutor Gerrie Nel challenged Scholtz’s assertion that Pistorius wasn’t fit to testify in the sentencing hearing, pointing out that Pistorius recently sat for an hour-long interview with British broadcaster ITV.
Pistorius’ potential sentence could be reduced to time served because of mitigating factors, the BBC reported.
He claimed he fired four shots through a bathroom door because he thought an intruder was in his house. Originally jailed on manslaughter charges, he was released into house arrest after a year. But South Africa’s Supreme Court changed his conviction to murder after the prosecution appealed.
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The sentencing hearing is expected to last all week with a sentence due by Friday.
