Oscar Pistorius, who had his legs amputated as an infant, struggles to trust anyone and is prone to extreme reactions in fight-or-flight scenarios, a defense witness said Monday.
Pistorius’ lawyers are putting the finishing touches on their sympathetic portrait of Pistorius as a homeowner whose fear of crime led to the accidental shooting of gal pal Reeva Steenkamp last year.
“Overall, Mr. Pistorius appears to be a mistrustful and guarded person,” said Merryll Vorster, a forensic psychiatrist at Johannesburg-based University of the Witwatersrand.
Pistorius gunned down Steenkamp in the early morning hours of Feb. 14, 2013, inside his home in Pretoria.
Prosecutors said Pistorius murdered Steenkamp after an argument, while the defense claims he mistook her for an intruder and opened fire.
“When exposed to a threat, Mr. Pistorius is more likely to respond with a ‘fight’ response rather than a ‘flight’ response, as his physical capacity for flight is limited,” Vorster said. “The safety measures he implemented at his home appear to have been out of proportion to that of the general South African population.”
Pistorius’ anxiety and fundamental distrust stems from his childhood, according to Vorster. Pistorius was born without fibulas in his lower legs, so they were amputated before he turned 1.
Vorster likened the amputation to a “traumatic assault” — as Pistorius would have seen it — leaving deep psychological scars.
“He was too young to understand why,” Vorster told the court. “His mother could not have comforted him because he was pre-language phase. It would been perceived as traumatic assault.”
Even though Pistorius went on to become a world-class sprinter, the Blade Runner could not shake a “generalized anxiety disorder” caused by the childhood amputation, according to Vorster.
“It’s clear that Mr. Pistorius has a psychiatric illness,” Vorster told the court.
“He certainly was able to appreciate the difference between right and wrong, but it may be his ability to act in accordance with such appreciation was affected by this generalized anxiety disorder.”
During cross-examination, chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel asked Vorster if someone with this anxiety disorder and access to guns would be a danger to society.
After Vorster answered “yes,” Nel asked the court to have Pistorius locked up on this evidence alone.
“The court will not have an option but to refer Mr. Pistorius for mental observation for 30 days,” Nel said.
Defense lawyer Barry Roux said he’d oppose Nel’s request, and the High Court in Pretoria did not immediately rule.
Pistorius faces 25 years to life behind bars if he’s convicted of premeditated murder.
Judge Thokozile Masipa could also find Pistorius guilty of a lesser crime, culpable homicide, which could land him behind bars for as much as 15 years.