Oscar Pistorius
Supreme Court Ups Pistorius Jail-term to 13 years, 5 months
South African Supreme Court today revised the six-year jail sentence for Oscar Pistorius to 13 years and five months.
The Court increased Pistorius’ jail-term after the state argued his original sentence of six years for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was “shockingly lenient”.
Pistorius was jailed in July last year after being found guilty on appeal of murdering Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013 in a case that attracted worldwide interest.
Reports say Oscar was not in court for Friday’s ruling when the court handed down the minimum 15-year sentence prescribed for murder in South Africa, and subtracted the years he had already served.
Steenkamp’s family, who were not in court for the ruling, welcomed the sentence and said it showed justice could prevail in South Africa.
“This is an emotional thing for them. They just feel that their trust in the justice system has been confirmed this morning,” Tania Koen, a family spokeswoman, told Reuters.
Judge Willie Seriti, reading out the court’s decision, said: “The sentence imposed … in respect of murder is set aside and substituted with the following: the respondent is sentenced to imprisonment for a period of 13 years and five months.”
Advertisement The athlete was originally convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to five years in jail. That conviction was increased to murder by the Supreme Court in December 2015 and his sentence was increased to six years by trial judge Thokozile Masipa.
Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius OIB was born 22 November 1986. He is a South African sprint runner, mostly called a blade-runner because he runs on blades attached to his amputated legs. Although both of Pistorius’ legs were amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old, he has competed in events for single below-knee amputees and for able-bodied athletes.