The National Prosecuting Authority issued the arrest warrant after the court overturned the original verdict of “culpable homicide”, the South African equivalent of manslaughter.
Advertisement
Under the previous widely criticized five-year sentence for culpable homicide, or reckless killing, Pistorius was allowed to leave prison in October to serve out the remaining four years at his uncle’s Pretoria home.
As a result the conviction was changed to murder, which carries a minimum sentence of 15 years in South Africa.
It referred the matter back to the trial court to deal with sentencing. Pistorius, now 29, said he accidentally shot dead her after believing there was an intruder in his house. Some legal experts have raised the prospect of the athlete’s lawyers appealing the case to the Constitutional Court, the highest court in South Africa, arguing that Pistorius received an unfair trial.
FILE – In this Thursday, Feb 14, 2013 file photo Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius leaves the Boschkop police station, east of Pretoria, South Africa, while in custody after the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, at his home.
The news is reported a day after the runner was convicted on appeal of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The sprinter was not in the Supreme Court of Appeal to hear the decision of a five-member strong panel of judges overturn his manslaughter charge who instead imposed the murder conviction.
NPA spokesperson Luvuyo Mfaku said earlier they wanted the process to be concluded as soon as possible.
Thursday, Leach ruled Pistorius should have foreseen that whoever it was behind his bathroom door would be killed upon his firing a gun though the locked toilet door.
Justice Thokozile Masipa, who presided over the trial, accepted that Pistorius hadn’t meant to kill Steenkamp, and noted that he had shown remorse nearly immediately after her death.
Responding to the verdict, Pistorius’ family said their lawyers are studying the finding and will advise them on “options going forward”.
Advertisement
More on this breaking news story to follow.
