Appeals court more than doubles Pistorius prison sentence for murder

South Africa’s supreme court on Friday increased Oscar Pistorius’ murder sentence to 13 years and five months after the state argued his original sentence of six years for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was “shockingly lenient”.

Rights groups in the country say Pistorius, a gold medal-winning athlete known as the “Blade Runner” for his carbon-fibre prosthetics, received preferential treatment compared to non-whites and those without his wealth or international celebrity status.

Pistorius sentenced to six years imprisonment 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.
He was not in court for Friday when the court handed down the minimum 15-year sentence prescribed for murder in South Africa, and subtracted the years Pistorius 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.

Pistorius 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.

At the time, Masipa ruled that although the Steenkamps had suffered a great loss, Pistorius’ life and career were also in ruins, adding that “a fallen hero can never be at peace”.

Reuters