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| Oscar Pistorius murder trial enters final week | Oscar Pistorius murder trial enters final week |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The trial of South African Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius is entering its final week with the defence set to conclude its case by Friday. | The trial of South African Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius is entering its final week with the defence set to conclude its case by Friday. |
| The double-amputee Paralympian denies intentionally shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last year. | |
| Giving evidence on Monday, a psychiatrist said that the athlete had an anxiety disorder and was "anxious" about violent crime in South Africa. | |
| Meryl Vorster said that he also endured bouts of anxiety during his childhood. | |
| Defence lawyer Barry Roux has only a limited number of witnesses left to call and is expected to complete his case by the end of this week. | Defence lawyer Barry Roux has only a limited number of witnesses left to call and is expected to complete his case by the end of this week. |
| Mr Pistorius says he accidentally shot Ms Steenkamp her through the toilet door in a state of panic, mistaking the 29-year-old model and law graduate for an intruder. | |
| Judge Thokozile Masipa will retire to consider her verdict once prosecutor Gerrie Nel has completed his arguments. | Judge Thokozile Masipa will retire to consider her verdict once prosecutor Gerrie Nel has completed his arguments. |
| There are no juries at trials in South Africa, so the athlete's fate will ultimately be decided by her, assisted by two assessors. | |
| Cowering | Cowering |
| Ms Vorster said that Mr Pistorius suffered "increasing levels of anxiety" during his childhood. | |
| She said that his parents separated when he was six and his father was not a responsible parent. | |
| "[He was] largely absent, and his mother was anxious, sleeping with a firearm under her pillow," she said. | |
| The prosecution on Monday began by continuing its cross examination of a key ballistics expert. | |
| Tom Wolmarans was asked detailed questions about the order and trajectory of bullets that killed Ms Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year. | |
| Mr Wolmarans said on Friday that Ms Steenkamp's wounds showed she may have been standing when first shot. He said that she was not in a defensive position when Mr Pistorius shot her. | |
| Correspondents say that the painstaking debate over such detail reflects the defence's efforts to show that Ms Steenkamp was not arguing with Mr Pistorius at the time of the pre-dawn shooting, as the prosecution contends. | Correspondents say that the painstaking debate over such detail reflects the defence's efforts to show that Ms Steenkamp was not arguing with Mr Pistorius at the time of the pre-dawn shooting, as the prosecution contends. |
| The prosecution alleges he shot her dead after a row and that she was cowering from him in the toilet. | The prosecution alleges he shot her dead after a row and that she was cowering from him in the toilet. |
| The state alleges one missed and ricocheted off a wall and injured her back and that the final bullet hit her hand and head as she was sitting in a defensive position. | The state alleges one missed and ricocheted off a wall and injured her back and that the final bullet hit her hand and head as she was sitting in a defensive position. |
| But Mr Wolmarans said on Friday that splinter evidence showed the model was leaning forward towards the door when the first bullet hit her hip. | But Mr Wolmarans said on Friday that splinter evidence showed the model was leaning forward towards the door when the first bullet hit her hip. |
| The next bullet hit her arm, the third bullet her hand and the last bullet hit her head as she was falling backwards, he said. | The next bullet hit her arm, the third bullet her hand and the last bullet hit her head as she was falling backwards, he said. |
| If found guilty, Mr Pistorius - a national sporting hero dubbed the "blade runner" because of the prosthetic limbs he wears to race - could face life imprisonment. | If found guilty, Mr Pistorius - a national sporting hero dubbed the "blade runner" because of the prosthetic limbs he wears to race - could face life imprisonment. |
| If he is acquitted of murder, the court must consider an alternative charge of culpable homicide, for which he could receive about 15 years in prison. | If he is acquitted of murder, the court must consider an alternative charge of culpable homicide, for which he could receive about 15 years in prison. |