Local News

Oscar Pistorius walks without prosthetics in court to show ‘vulnerability’

The paralympian has walked on his stumps in a bid to avoid jail.

The 29-year-old “Blade Runner” faces a minimum 15-year jail term after his manslaughter conviction for the 2013 killing was upgraded on appeal.

Scroll down for video

He is currently undergoing a court case in South Africa to determine his sentence which will be delivered on July 6.

In a bid to avoid jail and show the court how vulnerable he is, he walked around the room without his prosthetics.

Defence lawyer Barry Roux used this as his closing argument for Wednesday’s hearing and asked the Paralympian to walk on his stumps.

Pistorius stood for five minutes in front of the court television camera and wiped tears from his eyes.

Roux said: “The accused was vulnerable because of his disability. His failure to conduct a rational thought process does not negate his vulnerability.”

This comes after a psychologist for the defence called Pistorius a ‘broken man’, and that he’s on medication for depression, anxiety and insomnia.

On Valentine’s Day 2013, his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was shot four times through the locked bathroom door by Pistorious. He has always said he believed it to be an intruder.

Oscar and Reeva in 2012

Roux is asking for a light sentence as he believes Pistorius’ disability makes him vulnerable.

“The fact is that a disabled person in jail has a more difficult time,” Roux said in court.

VIDEO: Oscar Pistorius walks on his stumps in court

Loading the player...

Related stories