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Pistorius facing 15-year jail term ahead of sentencing decision
Legal expert Llewellyn Curlewis, chair of the Law Society of the Northern Provinces, told Agence France-Presse that he expected a sentence of between 11 and 14 years.
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Pistorius, a six time Paralympic athletics champion, shot dead his former girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp by firing four shots through a locked toilet door on Valentine’s Day in February 2013.
Pistorius, 29, would have to serve at least half of that in prison before becoming eligible for parole.
The ruling came after the state appealed against a manslaughter verdict, for which Pistorius has served nine months of a five-year sentence.
His disability and the year he’s already spent in jail would be among the factors Judge Thokozile Masipa could use to justify deviating from the minimum of 15 years for murder, a lawyer not involved in the case said on Tuesday.
While not finding that Pistorius had direct intent to kill Steenkamp, the court did not accept that he had a rational basis to fire at the intruder he believed was behind his toilet door.
The culpable homicide conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court of Appeal after a panel found Judge Masipa had misinterpreted the law.
Known as the Blade Runner because of his J-shaped prosthetic blades, Pistorius was granted bail of 10,000 rand ($900) and ordered to remain under house arrest.
Since his release, Pistorius has lived under restrictions at his uncle’s mansion in Pretoria.
But Pistorius’ father Henke has expressed his concerns the judge will be bullied into giving his son an “unfair” harsher sentence.
Pistorius ditched his prosthetics during the hearing to again illustrate his vulnerability when reduced to walking on his stumps.
Defence witness and psychologist Jonathan Scholtz claimed, however, that he should not face jail as the ordeal had left him a “broken man”.
He also spoke of deliberately trying to harm himself to replicate his daughter’s pain and recalled how he had suffered a stroke because of the stress of the trial.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel severely criticised Pistorius for choosing to give a television interview, but not testifying, which he argued demonstrated Pistorius’ lack of remorse and disrespect for the court.
The family believe the couple had had an argument on the night Ms Steenkamp died and that Pistorius shot her in anger.
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Fifteen years in jail is the minimum sentence for murder in South Africa, which no longer has the death penalty.