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Pistorius Appeals Sentence To Constitutional Court

South African Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius has filed an application to the Constitutional Court seeking to overturn a higher prison sentence handed down by … Continue reading Pistorius Appeals Sentence To Constitutional Court


A file photo of Oscar Pistorius
Oscar Pistorius

South African Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius has filed an application to the Constitutional Court seeking to overturn a higher prison sentence handed down by the appeals court last month, court documents showed on Tuesday.

Pistorius will appeal to the country’s highest court against the increased sentence of 13 years and five months, a murder term that the Supreme Court of Appeal more than doubled from an original six years, for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The athlete was jailed in July last year after being found guilty on appeal of murdering model and law graduate Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013 by firing four shots through a locked bathroom door. The case attracted worldwide interest.

He had originally been found guilty 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 extended to six years by trial judge Thokozile Masipa in July last year.

Pistorius reached the semi-finals of the 400 metres at the London Olympics in 2012 and took two golds in the Paralympics.

Reuters