Disgraced athlete Oscar Pistorius has removed his prosthetic legs and hobbled through the court room on day three of his sentencing.
The former Olympic runner was asked by his defence counsel Barry Roux to remove his fake limbs in a bid to prove he deserves leniency.
Pistorius took his legs off, then hobbled uncomfortably across the room before leaning on a wooden sideboard next to his lawyer.
He then knelt on a red cushion on the floor.
Pistorius was on his stumps when he fatally shot Ms Steenkamp through a toilet cubicle door in his home 2013 - he testified at his murder trial that he felt vulnerable and thought an intruder was in the house.
Mr Roux said: "This is the person - it's three o'clock in the morning. It's dark.
"He's on his stumps...not on his legs, he is not running around the track.
"He suffers from an anxiety disorder."
Mr Roux added: "When he was on his stumps his balance was seriously compromised and without anything he would not be able to defend himself.
"He was anxious, he was frightened and he was suffering from an anxiety disorder.
"This must all be seen in the context of his disability and the pervasive effect of the disability."
"When I look at him I think how rational can be," Mr Roux added.
He then asked a distressed looking Pistorius to return to his seat.
The runner faces up to 15 years in prison for shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The hearing brings to an end years of legal battles - the, a former Olympic sprinter, was originally convicted of manslaughter after he blasted Reeva to death at his home in Pretoria in the early hours of Valentine's Day 2013.
The conviction was upgraded to murder by South Africa's Supreme Court last year and judges have said Pistorius has no more options to appeal.
Reeva's father yesterday told the court her fatal shooting has "devastated" his family, and that he thinks about her constantly.
In a voice shaking with emotion, Barry Steenkamp revealed he has tried to imagine the horrific moment of his daughter's death, and said: "Oscar has to pay for what he did."
Mr Steenkamp added that he would like to talk to the former track star in private at a later stage.
The hearing is scheduled to run until Friday.
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