PRETORIA - South African athlete Oscar Pistorius is a "broken" man, a defence witness has said at his sentencing hearing.
He was convicted of murder at the end of last year for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
He faces a jail term of 15 years, but his sentence can be reduced due to time already spent in prison and mitigating factors.
The hearing is expected to last all week with a sentence by Friday.
Pistorius, 29, killed Ms Steenkamp in February 2013 after firing four times through a locked toilet door.
The athlete has always maintained he believed he was shooting at an intruder.
Psychologist Jonathan Scholtz explained to the court why he felt a jail term would not be "constructive", reports the BBC's Karen Allen.
"Since the offence he has developed a serious psychiatric condition which has become worse over the past two years - major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder," Dr Scholtz said.
He added that Pistorius was traumatised by the sound of a gun, even in a film, and never wants to go near a firearm again.