South African athlete Oscar Pistorius is a “broken” man, a defence witness has said at his sentencing hearing.
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Analysts estimate that he could be sentenced to between eight and 12 years, but the prosecution is pushing for at least 15.
He questioned why it was too stressful for Pistorius to testify in court, when he had recently appeared on a television network making comments about the trial.
The former paralympian killed his girlfriend in 2013 after shooting four times through a locked bathroom door and he has always maintained he was shooting an intruder.
Scholtz said Oscar had a hellish time during his almost 12-month stint in jail.
The sentencing hearing began Monday and the process is expected to last several days before a judge announces the sentence.
FILE – In this November 4, 2012 file photo, South African Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp arrive for an awards ceremony in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Months later, South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal overturned the culpable homicide conviction, ruling that a lower court did not correctly apply the rule of dolus eventualis, under which the accused may be held accountable for foreseeable consequences of his or her actions.
He was cross-examining Scholtz after he testified for the defence that more time in prison would not serve Pistorius socially or psychologically, and that he could better use his skills to make a contribution to society.
Schotlz provided a report a report to the court stipulating Pistorius’ mental state.
Reeva Steenkamp’s father, Barry, who has been absent throughout the case due to poor health, is in court and could testify later this week.
Members of the ANCWL said Pistorius should face the prescribed sentence.
Oscar Pistorius in the dock during his sentencing hearing at North Gauteng high court.
Scholtz said that Pistorius “takes some comfort” in the knowledge that Steenkamp is with God, and that the athlete, a known gun collector, had sold all his weapons and had sworn off firearms.
Scholtz told the court that it would not be advisable for the former athlete to be sent back to prison.
He was released from prison last October after nearly a year in jail and allowed to serve out the remainder of his initial sentence under house arrest on his uncle’s property in Pretoria.
Prosecutor Nel challenged Scholtz on some of those claims surrounding Pistorius’ imprisonment.
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Nel also disputed a claim by the psychologist that Pistorius was traumatised after he saw a prisoner who had hanged himself, saying it was unlikely that he could have seen the victim.
