01-16-2020, 06:46 AM
PRETORIA, South Africa -- Oscar Pistorius has an anxiety disorder that may have contributed to the fatal shooting of his girlfriend, an expert testified at his murder trial Monday, prompting the chief prosecutor to say the double-amputee Olympian should be placed under psychiatric observation. The judge has not yet ruled on prosecutor Gerrie Nels application that the court considers a period of mental evaluation for the world-famous runner. Dr. Merryll Vorster, a psychiatrist called by the defence, testified that a series of events in Pistorius turbulent life, including the amputation of his lower legs as a baby, his parents divorce, his late mothers habit of sleeping with a gun under her pillow and his own fear of violent crime contributed to his "increasing stress." "Overall, Mr. Pistorius appears to be a mistrustful and guarded person," Vorster testified. She said he has "many features of anxiety." Vorster said Pistorius anxiety combined with his physical disability may have caused him to act differently from other people when he shot four times through a toilet stall door in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013, killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius, 27, claims he mistook Steenkamp for a dangerous intruder when he shot her with his licensed 9 mm pistol in the pre-dawn hours. Prosecutors say he killed the 29-year-old model after an argument and shot in anger and not fear last Valentines Day. Pistorius chief lawyer Barry Roux said at the start of defence-led testimony that the double amputees vulnerability and disability was at the centre of his case of a mistaken killing. But prosecutor Nel questioned Monday if Pistorius was merely trying one of a number of defences for shooting his girlfriend. "There must be some reason why Mr. Roux decided to call this witness. It might be the third defence that we have," Nel said. Pistorius, the first amputee to run at the Olympics, testified at his trial that he fired his gun accidentally at the toilet door. That appeared to contradict his initial statement in court documents last year that he shot in self-defence because he believed his life was in danger. Nel said if Pistorius had genuine anxiety issues, Judge Thokozile Masipa should order him to be evaluated. Responding to a question from a reporter after the trial was adjourned, Pistorius said "Go read the law." As the athlete sat in the Pretoria courtroom earlier Monday making notes and occasionally looking up at the witness stand, Vorster outlined his apparently unhappy childhood and a life story in contrast to the smiling, triumphant disabled runner who made history at the London Olympics in 2012. Vorsters testimony raised the question of whether Pistorius was now claiming "diminished responsibility" for the shooting, Nel said, because of a possible mental illness. Nel also asked the psychiatrist if someone who was suffering from such an anxiety disorder, and had access to guns, would be a danger to society. Vorster said the person would, indeed, be a danger. Vorsters testimony came at the start of the eighth week of the globally televised trial, and a day before Pistorius defence had predicted it might wrap up its case. It now appears unlikely that the defence will rest Tuesday. The prosecutions cross-examination of the psychiatrist could continue on day 31 of proceedings after Nel asked for more time to look at her report on Pistorius. Vorster reached her opinion after meeting with Pistorius on two occasions this month, and also from interviews with his family, friends and agent, she said. Pistorius and his brother and sister "were reared to see their external environment as threatening," Vorster said, and this played a part in his actions on the night of the shooting. 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The group of Slava Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Sergei Fedorov, & Slava Kozlov were a dominant force for The Wings at one point in the 90s. Tom Chambers Jersey . Mohamed Diame put West Ham ahead in the 47th minute before goals by substitutes Carlton Cole and Joe Cole condemned Fulham to a fifth straight defeat, keeping the visitors in the bottom three. Losing Ilya Kovalchuk means some changes to the New Jersey Devils plan of attack, but they were active this summer in their attempts to fill holes. Top Picks: Patrik Elias, Cory Schneider Even at 37-years-old, LW Patrik Elias can provide comfortable reliability to fantasy owners, even if 36 points in 48 games last season counted as his second-lowest per-game scoring rate of the last decade. Since 2006-2007, Elias has scored 426 points, which ranks 29th and given his role as the Devils offensive leader (particularly now that Ilya Kovalchuk is gone), Elias is a safe addition as a No. 2 left winger. There is a lot to like about G Cory Schneider who has a .931 save percentage over the last three seasons, the best in hockey among goalies with at least 75 games played and, by all rights, he deserves a starting job. Trouble is, the Devils have a future Hall of Famer on the roster and still havent given the slightest indication that Schneider is the starter. On the contrary, it doesnt sound like Martin Brodeur is prepared to take a backup role and the Devils loyalty to Brodeur could shape this decision. All of this makes Schneider a risky pickup, but if you believe that he will outplay Brodeur enough to take more starts, then Schneider has the potential to provide value as a Top 10 fantasy goaltender, maybe higher depending on how quickly he takes the lead. Value Plays: Following a season in which he scored just three goals in 40 games, there is an opportunity to buy low on the value of LW Ryane Clowe. 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There is opportunity available in New Jersey for Jagr to play and fulfill a scoring role and he can still do it; not like he did at his peak, but good enough to hold down a spot on a fantasy roster. Sleepers/Breakthrough: Its difficult for the Devils centres to provide great fantasy value because they arent the same kind of offfensive producers as their wingers and, with centre being such a deep position, that makes Adam Henrique and Travis Zajac effectively sleeper picks, even though they are playing down the middle on the top two lines.dddddddddddd. Henrique overachieved offensively as a rookie, in 2011-2012, crashing back to earth last year when he managed five assists (along with 11 goals) in 42 games. If he fits between Clowe and Ryder, that line could score, but maybe not enough for Henrique to be anything more than fantasy depth. 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Perhaps hell connect with Elias and Jagr on the power play, but its also possible you can do better than a 36-year-old with declining offensive numbers. C Andrei Loktionov has 15 goals and 26 points in 87 career NHL games, including 12 points in 28 games with the Devils last season. He has some offensive promise, but probably needs to secure a spot in the top six to be relevant for fantasy owners. Same goes for Damien Brunner, who had 26 points for the Red Wings last season and is in camp on a tryout. Rookies: There dont appear to be any prime positions for rookies in the Devils lineup, but there are a couple that could challenge for time during the season. Stefan Matteau played 17 games for New Jersey last season before he was sent back to the QMJHL, which resulted in a tumultuous time in its own right. Hes a big, physical winger, but maybe not offensive enough to generate fantasy interest. D Jon Merrill didnt have the smoothest path at the University of Michigan, but he had eight points in 12 AHL games at the end of last season. The 21-year-old is big and skilled, and may need more time in the minors, but he could play a significant role for the Devils before long. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '