Former star athlete Oscar Pistorius will likely return to jail, after an appeals case resulted in a murder conviction for the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
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Members of the women’s wing of the ruling African national Congress in the Free State Province, the location of Bloemfontein, were also excited about the murder verdict, which is expected to earn Pistorius a minimum of 15 years or a maximum of 20 years in prison. Pistorius had been sentenced to five years in prison for manslaughter and got out early in line with correctional services department regulations.
“He ought to have been convicted not of culpable homicide… but of culpable murder”, the judge added.
Pistorius was previously convicted of culpable homicide by Judge Thokozile Masipa. The prosecution said Pistorius shot Steenkamp during an argument.
Judge Leach was part of a panel of five judges who ruled on the appeal. Under South African law, a murder conviction can be handed down if it can be proven that someone had realized the possibility of killing someone through their actions and continued with them nonetheless.
– Supreme Sourt of Appeal overturns Masipa’s ruling and finds Pistorius was guilty of murder.
“To save all of you the trouble of camping out at the Pistorius home tomorrow, I thought it best to let you know in advance that there will not be an on-camera statement made tomorrow”, she said.
A date for the former athlete’s new sentencing will be announced in Pretoria, where he had been tried and imprisoned. He is likely to remain on parole until then, unless a court rules otherwise, officials said. But Steenkamp’s mother, June, who has been a constant presence since the trial began, did. Pistorius denied deliberately killing Ms Steenkamp, saying he mistook her for an intruder at his home.
Pistorius killed Steenkamp at the peak of his fame, following his historic performance in London in 2012 when he became the first double-amputee to race at Olympic level.
Reeva Steenkamp’s father he was “satisfied” with the upscaled ruling.
Pistorius’ team could appeal the decision to the country’s Constitutional Court, but this is unlikely, criminal lawyer Johann Engelbrecht told the Associated Press.
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But Pistorius’s lawyers have said the sprinter can not afford further legal battles, having already paid huge bills. Consumed with emotion by his daughter’s death, voice cracking, he lamented, “I’m sure she’ll be able to rest as well now”. As the judge began to read the decision, broadcast live on TV, the uncle was seen rushing into the house.
