Oscar Pistorius 'on verge of suicide' 11 March 2013 Last updated at 11:11 South African athlete Oscar Pistorius, accused of killing his girlfriend, may be "on the verge of suicide," a close family friend has told the BBC. The sportsman was a "broken man" after rising legal costs forced him to sell his belongings, Mike Azzie said. Mr Azzie made the comments in a BBC3 documentary about the case, in which Mr Pistorius denies murder. Meanwhile, lawyers for the Paralympic champion have filed an appeal to ease his bail restrictions. Mr Pistorius, who is on trial for shooting model Reeva Steenkamp at his home last month, denies the charges of premeditated murder, saying he mistook her for an intruder. He was released on bail on 22 February and is due to appear in court again in June. Really worries me Mr Azzie, who has been in regular contact with the athlete, said he was worried about his mental and emotional state. Mr Azzie, known by Mr Pistorius as "uncle Mike," said the Olympic athlete had been forced to sell his race horses to cover the spiralling legal fees. "He has no confidence in his tone of voice and he is almost like someone that is walking around in circles and doesn't know where he is going," Mr Azzie said in the forthcoming BBC3 documentary, Oscar Pistorius: What Really Happened? I would say that, just speaking to him, he is a broken man. I would go as far as to say that he could be on the verge of suicide. It really worries me. Mr Azzie added that Mr Pistorius frequently talked about Ms Steenkamp and her family. "He just always seems to mention Reeva and asks us to pray for her and her family," he said in the interview, due to be broadcast on Tuesday. But most of all, you've got to understand that we are there for him and we will always be his friend. Bail conditions Must hand over 1 million rand (£74,000; $110,000): 100,000 rand in cash up front, and proof that the rest is available Must turn in passports and any guns that he owns Cannot leave Pretoria without permission from probation officer, nor can he return to his home Forbidden to take drugs or drink alcohol Must report to police station between 07:00 and 13:00 every Monday and Friday Meanwhile, defence lawyers have sought to ease bail restrictions imposed on Mr Pistorius, according to papers released by his family on Monday. The court had ordered the athlete to hand over his passport, avoid his home in Pretoria and report to a police station between 07:00 and 13:00 every Monday and Friday. But his lawyers said the conditions were "unwarranted and not substantiated by the facts." Evidence presented at the trial showed he was not a flight risk, and should be allowed to travel outside South Africa with official permission, they argued. Ms Steenkamp, 29, died after the athlete fired multiple shots into the toilet of his apartment in a gated housing complex in Pretoria on 14 February.