9:12 am
Mr van Zyl will be delighted that Nel has finished his questions.

He may well be relieved not to have suffered more of a mauling.

9:08 am
There are some roadworks happening outside the court which has slightly distracted everybody's attention for a moment.

The judge says it is a shame she cannot do anything about it.

9:06 am
Mr van Zyl yesterday said Pistorius and Steenkamp were in a 'loving and caring relationship' and would call each other pet names.

Nel asks Mr van Zyl if the athlete ever called Miss Taylor a pet name. He asks if he heard Pistorius call her 'little butterfly'.

Mr van Zyl says he cannot recall this.

9:02 am
Nel also asks Pistorius' manager if he sent condolences to Reeva Steenkamp's family after her death.

He says he sent some flowers but was advised not to make contact.

He says him and Miss Steenkamp were not friends and only met a few times at social engagments.

8:58 am
A letter from Pistorius to his then girlfriend Samantha Taylor is read to the court.

It reads: "It took me a long time to be honest with myself and to truly fall in love with you, Sam.

"I invited you to London because you have had my heart in your hands for months and never once let it go."

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Roux on reexamination just wanted the tweet read in... then no further questions.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Roux Reading Psychologist report, and Nel reading psychiatrist report into evidence.

Roux has one more witness... but of course needs a break first (5 mins)

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

9:23 am
Pistorius' defence lawyer has read out a psychologist's report on his client, which proves fascinating.

The psychologist says Pistorius is 'severely traumatised' following Miss Steenkamp's death and is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The athlete also has a major depressive disorder and is anxious.

The psychologist says that if he does not continue to receive clinical care then Pistorius is at risk of committing suicide.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

9:35 am
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel also read from a different report from a team of psychiatrists.

It said there is evidence of an adjustment disorder and depression and anxiety following Miss Steenkamp's death.

The court then adjourned briefly.

9:30 am
The report also said Pistorius is 'mourning the loss' of his former girlfriend.

Nel has quizzed the athlete's manager in the past two days about Pistorius' aggression.

But, according to the report read out in court, no evidence could be found that the athlete has a history of "abnormal aggression or explosive violence."

The report says Pistorius had genuine feelings for Miss Steenkamp and there is "no signs of abuse or coercion."

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

9:37 am
A new witness is now being sworn in.

It is Professor Wayne Derman who is a Paralympic team doctor.

It is thought he could be the final witness in the trial.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Oldwage up on his hind legs "doing the business" for the defense

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

10:17 am
Professor Derman says a study has been compiled which found levels of anxiety and stress are higher among disabled athletes than able-bodied counterparts.

He refers to a scale used to determine anxiety levels among athletes.

The court has now adjourned for a tea break.

10:14 am
We are hearing a lot today about Pistorius' mental wellbeing today.

Professor Derman says that the 27-year-old is an "anxious individual" .

He adds: "I have found him to be anxious in most interactions with myself and others."

Pistorius has a tremor in his hands and suffers from a sleep disorder which he has had to medicate him.

10:10 am
He adds: "In my experience, Oscar Pistorius is a highly dedicated, professional athlete".

Professor Derman says the athlete was always careful to avoid prohibited substances.

He is now telling the court about the problems Pistorius had had with his stumps.

10:06 am
Professor Derman says he had worked with Pistorius for six years and has an "intimate knowledge" of him.

He worked with the athlete at the Beijing 2008 Olympics and London 2012.

He says he has spent lots of time observing Pistorius with other athletes and the general public.

10:00 am
The defence team is still going through Derman's lengthy and rather impressive CV.

It's not the most illuminating section of evidence so far.

9:54 am
Derman, who has specialised in working with athletes with disabilities, says international travel is a difficult part of athlete's life.

He says for Paralympians, it can cause extra stresses.

9:44 am
Derman is a professor at the University of Cape Town and was formerly the chief medical officer of the South African Olympic and Paralympic teams.

The court is currently running through his CV.

Incredibly, it is 53 pages long!

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Oldwage asks for tea break... it's a SA lawyer thing

tea-break

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

11:00 am
Professor Derman tells the court that he has seen exaggerated fight or flight responses particularly in people suffering from a disability.

He told the murder trial that he did not witness this exaggerated response in those who were able-bodied.

10:53 am
This is interesting.

Professor Derman spoke to Pistorius on the phone on February 2 last year - just over a week before Miss Steenkamp was killed.

During the call, Pistorius told Professor Derman he was "lying next to the most wonderful girl that he had met".

The athlete told Derman he "could not wait for me to meet her."

10:48 am
Professor Derman says he has found Pistorius to be 'hyper vigilant'.

He says this includes seeing the Paralympian cowering when fireworks go off during opening and closing ceremonies and covering his head and ears.

10:43 am
The court is now back in session.

Professor Derman talks about Pistorius' results in the study of the stresses on disabled athletes during and after competitions.

His results show that Pistorius' psychological distress markers were higher than for the entire mean group of athletes.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

As witness starts reading into evidence email from Mrs Kent... Nel objects... HEARSAY!!

Oldwage is cunning enough to have expected this.. he has copies of case law

Oldwage: "It is NOT hearsay evidence"

I believe he is doing what is known in SA legal circles as ... "Ripping Nel a new one"

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

11:12 am
Professor Derman has told the court about a massage therapist called "Mrs Kent" who he met at the London 2012 games.

She has no arms and uses her feet to massage.

Prof Derman reads out an email from the UK therapist which she sent to him following Miss Steenkamp's death.

She says in the letter: "As a disabled woman who has come under attack, I am amazed at my automatic responses … The fight or flight response in people with a disability may be more highly developed."

She adds: "I am concerned that people without disability will not understand that fight or flight responses in people with disability may be more developed."

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel has objected to this evidence saying it is "just hearsay".

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

11:15 am
Pistorius' defence team are now arguing that the email is not hearsay.

While this is going on, he is a fascinating little aside.

This tweet shows a psychiatric report on Pistorius which found that the athlete was not suffering from a mental disorder when Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead.

11:37 am
Judge Masipa is now deciding on whether the email can be used in evidence.

She has decided to call a lunch break now.

The court will resume shortly.

11:29 am
Defence lawyer Kenny Oldwadge has finished making his case that the email from Mrs Kent is not hearsay.

As expected, Prosecutor Gerrie Nel completely disagress.

He says the court cannot hear evidence from a non-witness who cannot be cross-examined.

He argues her email is not relevant and has no value.

11:22 am
This morning's hearing has so far proved fascinating and offered a glimpse into Pistorius' fragile mental state.

He is suffering from severe depression and anxiety following Miss Steenkamp's death and could commit suicide if he does not continue to receive clinical care.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Nel is all but begging that this evidence NOT be allowed.

He seems to me almost in tears and just keeps repeating...

"It is hearsay.. it is, it is, it is!!"

Judge to decide over lunch.....

LUNCH






Back at 2:00pm... so a long lunch... it is SA

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

RECAP

With the court currently breaking for lunch, now is a good time to go over this morning's evidence.

Here are the most important points to come out of this morning's session.

• Oscar Pistorius is 'severely traumatised' following Reeva Steenkamp's death and is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
  
  
• If he does not continue to receive clinical care then Pistorius is at risk of committing suicide
  
  
• A psychologist also said no evidence could be found that the athlete has a history of "abnormal aggression or explosive violence"
  
  
• A professor who has worked with the South African Paralympic teams says Pistorius is an "anxious individual" who is "hyper vigilant"
  
  
• He has a tremor in his hands and suffers from a sleep disorder
  
  
• The court heard Pistorius was in love with former girlfriend Samantha Taylor and attempted to get her a ticket to the London 2012 Games

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

This is heading towards being a 2 hour lunch. Given that they start late, have half hour tea break and more breaks at every oportunity, knock off not long after lunch...... this is a bit ridiculous.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

1:12 pm
The court is due back in session any moment now.

Before lunch, there was some legal argument over whether an email to Professor Derman from a disabled British massage therapist called Mrs Kent could be used as evidence.

The prosecution argued her comments were hearsay and could not be admissible in court.

We are awaiting the judge's decision.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

1:21 pm
The woman whose email sparked the legal debate is masseur Sue Kent.

She is a thalidomide victim who worked during the London Olympics. She is pictured second from the left below.

Mrs Kent, who lives in Swansea, gives massages to athletes using her feet and says she is the only sports massage therapist in Britain who is qualified to treat people in this way.

In an interview with the BBC she told how it was her "dream" to work at the Paralympics.