Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Judge: "An application of this nature is never taken lightly... It is an integral part of a fair trial" 
 
 The judge in the trial of South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has ordered that he should undergo a month-long mental evaluation. 
 
 She ruled that psychiatric evidence before the court could not replace "a proper inquiry" into his mental health. 
 
 Correspondents say the trial, which began in March, will almost certainly now face a lengthy delay. 
 
 The prosecution argued on Tuesday that psychiatric tests were essential and that he should be referred. 
 
 Analysis Two days ago, Oscar Pistorius told me the prosecution's demand that he undergo further psychiatric tests was "a joke". His defence lawyer was practically spitting with indignation in court as he argued against it. But today - after hearing Judge Masipa's thorough, detailed ruling - all sides seemed to accept, or at least pretend to accept, that she had a point and that another long delay in this already extended trial would not be a disaster. It is an odd moment - and one that seems to have caught almost everyone I have spoken to by surprise. Remember that neither prosecution nor defence is suggesting that Mr Pistorius is mentally ill. But the prosecution is clearly concerned by the defence psychiatrist's claim that the athlete's behaviour the night he killed Reeva Steenkamp might have been influenced by his "general anxiety disorder". If the state experts confirm that medical diagnosis then the defence has lost nothing but time. The experts could even go further, suggesting Mr Pistorius had diminished responsibility for his actions. But if, after 30 days of evaluation, the doctors conclude that Mr Pistorius' actions the night he shot his girlfriend were in no way related to any anxiety issues, then the prosecution's stake-raising poker move will have done its job. 
 
 But the defence vigorously opposed the move. 
 
 Mr Pistorius denies intentionally killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year. 
 
 He says he accidentally shot her through the toilet door in a state of panic, mistaking the 29-year-old model and law graduate for an intruder. 
 
 'No choice' 
 
 The BBC's Andrew Harding in court says that Judge Thokozile Masipa's decision caught almost everyone by surprise. 
 
 The trial has now been adjourned until Tuesday, when the judge will give the details behind her ruling which could mean the Olympic athlete is evaluated for a minimum of 30 days at a psychiatric faculty. 
 
 Mr Pistorius's uncle, Arnold, welcomed the judge's "thorough" ruling and said it gave the family "confidence" in the justice system. 
 
 Judge Masipa said that the criminal code stipulates that if an accused person is alleged not to be criminally responsible or is alleged to be mentally ill, he should be evaluated. 
 
 She said that such an evaluation would ensure that Mr Pistorius would get a fair trial, adding it would be "preferable" for him to undergo the evaluation as an outpatient. 
 
 Prosecution lawyer Gerrie Nel made the referral application on Tuesday after forensic psychiatrist Merryll Vorster said earlier that the double amputee was suffering from generalised anxiety disorder (Gad). 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Arnold Pistorius: "As a family we are comforted by the thoroughness and detail of this judgement" 
 
 Mr Nel said that the disorder diagnosis left him with no choice but to apply for an evaluation because the condition might have affected Mr Pistorius' behaviour on the night he killed Ms Steenkamp. 
 
 Legal experts say that the case may well hinge on the judge's understanding of the athlete's state of mind when he pulled the trigger. 
 
 Image copyright Reuters Image caption The case has attracted saturation media coverage in South Africa and throughout the world 
 
 Image copyright AP Image caption Mr Pistorius now faces an interruption to his daily walks past supporters to the court 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Oscar Pistorius could now be evaluated for at least 30 days at a psychiatric faculty 
 
 They say the prosecution is keen to show that the defence keeps changing its reasons why Mr Pistorius fired his gun - from putative self-defence, to accidental shooting, and now to something linked to his anxiety disorder. 
 
 There are no juries at trials in South Africa, so the athlete's fate will ultimately be decided by the judge, assisted by two assessors. 
 
 If found guilty of murder, Mr Pistorius could face life imprisonment. If he is acquitted of that charge, the court will consider an alternative charge of culpable homicide, for which he could receive about 15 years in prison. ||||| Media caption Milton Nkosi: Some witnesses refused to testify because of publicity around the case 
 
 Some witnesses refused to testify at the televised trial of Oscar Pistorius because of the publicity, the South African athlete's lawyer has said. 
 
 They did not want "their voices all over the world", Barry Roux told the court as his team ended its case. 
 
 The court has now adjourned until 7 August for closing arguments. 
 
 The Olympic sprinter denies intentionally killing his girlfriend on Valentine's Day last year, saying he mistook her for an intruder. 
 
 The prosecution accuses the double amputee of deliberately shooting dead Reeva Steenkamp after the pair had an argument. 
 
 Image caption Mr Pistorius and his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp had been dating for three months before the fatal shooting 
 
 Analysis: BBC's Pumza Fihlani in Pretoria 
 
 Although Oscar Pistorius' legal team revealed that some witnesses had refused to testify, it is unlikely to harm the athlete's defence, as this has always hinged on his testimony and that of experts. 
 
 The world heard chilling details of Reeva Steenkamp's last moments when he took the stand in April. Since then his team has sought to show that the shooting was a tragic accident. Their experts led evidence on his mental state and how his disability had shaped him. 
 
 There emerged a picture of "two Oscars": The incredibly talented Paralympic runner and a self-conscious man acutely aware of his vulnerability. His lawyers argue it is this fear that was behind the sequence of events that would see Ms Steenkamp lying lifeless in her boyfriend's home on Valentine's Day last year. 
 
 But the prosecution believes it has done enough to show that Mr Pistorius was trigger-happy and driven by jealousy; a man who shot the model knowingly and with intent. 
 
 The trial, which began on 3 March, is the first in South Africa to be broadcast live on TV and has attracted intense global attention. 
 
 Mr Roux told the court in the capital, Pretoria, that the defence, which began its presentation on 28 March, had no more witnesses to call. 
 
 He said he had chosen not to ask Judge Thokozile Masipa to make them appear, the Associated Press news agency reports. 
 
 "There's nothing that we can do about it,'' he said. 
 
 He did not name the witnesses who had refused to testify. 
 
 What happens next? 
 
 •Prosecution to file its written argument to the judge by 30 July 
 
 •Defence to file its written argument by 4 August 
 
 •Trial resumes on 7 August to hear the final presentations from both legal teams 
 
 •Trial will then adjourn to allow the judge and her assessors to consider their verdict 
 
 Andrew Harding: How did defence fare? 
 
 There are no juries at trials in South Africa, so the athlete's fate will be decided by the judge, assisted by two assessors. 
 
 Both the prosecution and defence teams must submit their written arguments Judge Masipa before the trial resumes in August. 
 
 She warned that these documents should not be leaked before the arguments were put forward in court. 
 
 If found guilty of murder, the 27-year-old, who went on trial on 3 March, could face life imprisonment. 
 
 If he is acquitted of that charge, the court will consider an alternative charge of culpable homicide, for which he could - if convicted - receive about 15 years in prison.
– Oscar Pistorius had been expected to take the stand in his murder trial today, but the beginning of the defense case has now been delayed until next month. Judge Thokozile Masipa says one of two legal experts helping her with the case is sick and the trial has been suspended until April 7, reports the AP. The athlete's defense lawyers had been set to begin their case today after four weeks of testimony from the prosecution. Pistorius is not legally obliged to testify, but he was expected to take the stand today as the only witness to girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp's death, the BBC notes. He says he shot her after mistaking her for an intruder. When the trial resumes, the defense is expected to address key issues including his alleged past carelessness with firearms and why he failed to check on his girlfriend's whereabouts when he believed there was an intruder in the house.