Blade Runner murder trial verdict - Live Stream

BeamMeUpScotty · Sep 13, 2014

Oscar Pistorius, convicted of culpable homicide, may face more than 10 years in jail

Paralympian could be jailed for more than 10 years for Valentine's Day killing of girlfriend; verdict surprises many, and state could appeal

PUBLISHED : Friday, 12 September, 2014, 4:29pm
UPDATED : Saturday, 13 September, 2014, 3:06am

Agence France-Presse in Pretoria

Oscar Pistorius leaves court in Pretoria after being found guilty of negligently killing his girlfriend. Sentencing is next month. Photo: Reuters

Oscar Pistorius was yesterday found guilty of culpable homicide for shooting dead his girlfriend and could face a lengthy jail term, in a case that has brought the Paralympian's career to a shuddering halt.

Pistorius, known as Blade Runner for the prosthetic legs that powered him to fame, was acquitted of murder, but South African judge Thokozile Masipa said he had acted "negligently" in killing Reeva Steenkamp.

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The judge agreed to release Pistorius on bail pending a sentencing hearing, which will begin on October 13.

His trial heard that in the early hours of Valentine's Day last year, Pistorius fired four hollow point bullets through a locked toilet door, causing Steenkamp's head to "explode" and "amputating" the law graduate's arm.

Dismissing swathes of state evidence as inconclusive or irrelevant, Masipa ruled that on the charge of murder "the accused is found not guilty and is discharged, instead he is found guilty of culpable homicide".

"A reasonable person," Masipa said, would have foreseen "that whoever was behind the door might be killed", adding that Pistorius did not take steps to avoid that.

The defendant stared straight ahead as the conviction was read, showing little emotion. But from the gallery there was a sound of sniffles and shallow breaths as friends and family of 29-year-old Steenkamp cried.

Pistorius arrives at the High Court in Pretoria. Photo: AFP

Steenkamp's father, Barry, ran his hand over his head, while her mother June pursed her lips and shook her head.

With no mandatory sentence for culpable homicide, Masipa - known for handing out stiff sentences - will have a great deal of discretion over the punishment, which could range from a fine to more than a decade in jail.

After the verdict, Pistorius' uncle Arnold said the damage done to the athlete as a result of the trial had been tragic. But crime-weary South Africans and legal experts were angry and surprised that Pistorius was found not guilty of murder.

The National Prosecuting Authority said it was disappointed with the verdict, but had not decided whether to appeal.

Outside the court Trevor, a 52-year-old pastor from Pretoria, expressed disgust at the verdict. "If he didn't have money he would be in jail," he said. "Real men don't do that."

Masipa had described Pistorius as a "very poor witness" who was "evasive" when questioned.

The judge, however, found Pistorius guilty on just one of three gun charges that were also levelled against him.

Masipa said Pistorius was guilty of negligently handling a gun in a busy restaurant. While Pistorius was having lunch with friends, he asked to see a friend's gun. While handling it under the table the firearm went off, injuring a boxer, Kevin Lerena.

"He may not have intentionally pulled the trigger," said Masipa. "But that does not absolve him of the crime of negligently handling a firearm."

Masipa cleared Pistorius on charges of illegally possessing ammunition, which the sprinter said belonged to his father.

She also said there was not enough evidence to prove he fired a gun through a car sunroof.

yellowarse · Sep 13, 2014

The whole thing has been a farce, a travesty of justice. If you're a man, white, famous and wealthy, you can literally get away with blue murder in South Africa. Even if you've had a long-standing history of abusing women and firearm offences.

Looks like Pistorius may not even have to do jail time:

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/pi...lpable-homicide-death-reeva-steenkamp-n201261
Under South African law, the charge of culpable homicide with a firearm carries a minimum prison sentence of five years. The maximum is 15 years – although the judge would have to show that there was a specific reason for it to be extended. However, Pistorius could even avoid a prison term altogether by having jail time converted into a house arrest with added conditions such as a ban on drinking alcohol.

TrueColors · Oct 14, 2014

Oscar Pistorius hopes to avoid prison as sentencing hearing begins

Disabled sprinter hopes to avoid prison as sentencing hearing begins

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 14 October, 2014, 4:30am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 14 October, 2014, 4:30am

Agence France-Presse in Pretoria

Oscar Pistorius (right) speaks with his lawyer. Photo: EPA

Oscar Pistorius' therapist told a sentencing hearing yesterday that the star sprinter was a "broken man" who experienced genuine remorse after shooting dead his girlfriend.

As Pistorius' lawyers fought to keep him out of jail, his therapist Lore Hartzenberg told a South African court that Pistorius was virtually inconsolable during initial counselling sessions after he killed Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day 2013.

The 27-year-old double amputee was last month found guilty of negligently killing the model. But he was cleared on a more serious charge of murder, a verdict that shocked the country and fuelled criticism of South Africa's legal system.

"Some of the sessions were just him weeping and crying and me holding him," said Hartzenberg, the first witness called by Pistorius' lawyers to mitigate against a prison sentence.

"I can confirm his remorse and pain to be genuine," said Hartzenberg "I have never found him to be anything other than a respectful, caring and well-mannered person."

She described Pistorius as a "broken man".

Meanwhile, a South African correctional services social worker, told Pretoria's High Court that the athlete should serve three years house arrest and do 16 hours community service a month sparking angry comments from prosecutors. He said house arrest was "as harsh" as any other sentence.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel, described the recommendation as "shockingly inappropriate" and said the official, Joel Maringa, had not applied his mind to the seriousness of the crime "at all".

Pistorius entered the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria amid tight security for the start of the sentencing hearing, expected to run for most of the week.

He faces up to 15 years in one of South Africa's notoriously brutal prisons or could dodge a jail term altogether.

The defence team is expected to argue that the country's prisons are not suited for his disability and that the 2012 London Paralympics silver medallist deserves leniency as a first-time offender.

Hartzenberg did not testify during the trial.

During her cross-examination, the court heard that Steenkamp's father had suffered a stroke after her death, and her mother had repeatedly collapsed on the floor in tears.

Nel suggested Hartzenberg was biased in favour of Pistorius, pointing out that she cried during the trial.

Lawyer David Dadic - who is not involved in the case - said the defence would "heavily expand on their trial argument regarding Oscar's remorsefulness".

The state would focus on his history of negligence with firearms, he said.

hofmann · Oct 14, 2014

yellowarse said:
The whole thing has been a farce, a travesty of justice. If you're a man, white, famous and wealthy, you can literally get away with blue murder in South Africa. Even if you've had a long-standing history of abusing women and firearm offences.

america is way more progressive than South Africa. A man, black, famous and wealthy did get away with (white) murder even with a long-standing history of abusing women.

yellowarse · Oct 14, 2014

hofmann said:
america is way more progressive than South Africa. A man, black, famous and wealthy did get away with (white) murder even with a long-standing history of abusing women.

America is slightly more progressive. You don't have to be white, but you still need to be famous and wealthy to get away with blue murder. Plus assemble a defence dream team comprising a majority of Jewish lawyer sharks.

Fascination · Oct 14, 2014

Pistorius' charity work downplayed

AAP
October 14, 2014, 7:52 pm

A South African prison official has recommended that Paralympian Oscar Pistorius clean a museum. EPA

Oscar Pistorius only used charitable work as a marketing tool, the prosecution says as the sentencing hearing of the South African athlete enters its second day.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel downplayed arguments on Tuesday by Pistorius' manager Peet Van Zyl that the double-amputee Olympic sprinter had engaged in volunteer work and donated funds to help disabled people.

Getting involved in charity "is merely an advancement of your career," Nel told Van Zyl. "If you see it that way," the manager answered.

Pistorius' defence is trying to depict him as a generous man of good character in an attempt to allow him to avoid a prison sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on February 14, 2013.

The 27-year-old athlete fired at the 29-year-old model through the bathroom door in his Pretoria home.

Judge Thokozile Masipa accepted his version that he took her for a burglar and found him guilty of manslaughter on September 12.

The sentencing hearing is expected to conclude this week. Masipa then has a wide discretion in choosing the sentence, which could range from a fine to 15 years in prison.

Pistorius' therapist told the court on Monday that he had felt deep and genuine remorse for killing Steenkamp and had been left "a broken man" by his ordeal.

A representative of South Africa's Correctional Services Department recommended that Pistorius be punished with house arrest and community service.

Nel called the suggestion a "shockingly inappropriate" punishment.

The judge said in her September decision that Pistorius did not mean to kill anyone, but acted negligently and unreasonably, knowing there was someone in the toilet with little room for manoeuvre when he fired the shots.

The verdict sparked an outcry, with many saying Pistorius intended to kill and should have been found guilty of murder.

The 41-day trial of Pistorius - the first double-amputee to compete against able-bodied sprinters in the 2012 London Olympics - was watched closely around the world.

Fascination · Oct 14, 2014

Pistorius presses bid to avoid prison at sentencing hearing

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 14 October, 2014, 5:12pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 14 October, 2014, 5:16pm

Agence France-Presse in Pretoria

Oscar Pistorius arrives at the High Court for the second day of sentencing in his murder trial in Pretoria. Photo: EPA

Oscar Pistorius tried to show he is the ideal candidate for house arrest on Tuesday, as the judge heard the final defence witnesses in the Paralympic gold medallist’s sentencing hearing.

The star sprinter’s longtime manager Peet van Zyl took the witness stand for the second day to outline Pistorius’s charity work, an important component of the athlete’s strategy to avoid serving time behind bars.

On Monday, prison official Joel Maringa recommended that 27-year-old Pistorius should receive three years “correctional supervision” through house arrest for fatally shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

He should also clean a Pretoria museum for 16 hours a month, Maringa said.

Pistorius was found guilty last month of negligently killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine’s Day last year.

The double amputee athlete was cleared of the more serious charge of murder.

His sentencing hearing, which began on Monday, is expected to run for most of the week.

The so-called “Blade Runner” could face up to 15 years in prison, or could dodge a jail term altogether with a non-custodial sentence.

The state has indicated it will call at least two witnesses, whose testimony is expected to finish on Wednesday or Thursday.

Judge Thokozile Masipa will likely make her decision on Friday, a state source told reporters.

Both the state and defence then have 14 days to appeal Judge Masipa’s decision.

TrueColors · Oct 16, 2014

Oscar Pistorius offered cash to victim Reeva Steenkamp's family, court told

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 15 October, 2014, 5:12am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 15 October, 2014, 5:12am

Agence France-Presse in Pretoria

Oscar Pistorius attends his sentencing hearing at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. Photo: Reuters

Oscar Pistorius offered $US34,000 to the family of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp after he killed her, but the family rejected the funds because they did not want "blood money," it emerged yesterday.

The revelation was made at the sentencing hearing for the South African double-amputee athlete, while prosecutors also referred to separate monthly payments of $US550 that the Pistorius camp apparently made to Steenkamp's family, but said those would be paid back in full.

It came as prosecutors fiercely attacked the defence's picture of the 27-year-old "Blade Runner" as a caring and charitable athlete, hoping to persuade the court that he deserves to be jailed for killing his girlfriend last year.

State prosecutor Gerrie Nel said that Pistorius' charity work was nothing unusual for a superstar athlete, arguing he was primarily motivated by personal fame and fulfilling contractual duties with major sponsors, including sunglasses brand Oakley and sportswear firm Nike.

"It is merely an advancement of your career to become involved," Nel said in a scathing cross-examination of Pistorius's manager Peet van Zyl.

"I think a lot of sportsmen want to make a difference and contribute," replied Van Zyl.

"But as a bonus, as a flip side," pressed Nel. "I'm just saying it's a matter of course to be involved in charitable work for athletes, it's not peculiar."

On Monday, prison official Joel Maringa recommended that the track star should receive three years "correctional supervision" through house arrest for fatally shooting Steenkamp. He should also clean a Pretoria museum for 16 hours a month, Maringa said.

Prosecutor Nel described Maringa's suggestion as "shockingly inappropriate".

Pistorius was found guilty last month of culpable homicide in killing Steenkamp. The judge. Thokozile Masipa, cleared him of murder.

SoleSurvivor · Oct 17, 2014

Pistorius not a ‘cold-blooded killer’, argues defence in closing statements

Defence asks for track star to receive ’community based sentence’

PUBLISHED : Friday, 17 October, 2014, 5:54pm
UPDATED : Friday, 17 October, 2014, 5:54pm

Agence France-Presse in Pretoria

Pistorius attends his sentencing hearing at the High Court in Pretoria. Photo: Reuters

Oscar Pistorius was not a “cold-blooded killer” and should serve a community-based sentence, his defence argued on Friday in a last-ditch attempt to keep the star sprinter out of jail.

Pistorius wept in the dock as his lawyer Barry Roux said he had already suffered enough for killing his model girlfriend, describing the Paralympian gold medallist’s devastating fall from disabled icon and sporting stardom to a loathed criminal.

“He’s lost everything, he was an icon in the eyes of South Africa,” said Roux in his final argument on the sentence Pistorius should serve for shooting Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year.

Roux says Pistorius had also lost the woman he loved, “most of his friends” and “all of his immovable properties”.

“He was denigrated to the extent that all that was left was a rage killer, a cold-blooded killer, and everything that was horrible,” said Roux, describing 27-year-old Pistorius as a “victim” of unprecedented malicious media attention.

The sensational trial has been broadcast live around the world.

Pistorius was genuinely remorseful for accidentally killing the woman he loved and would suffer from this for the rest of his life, Roux said.

Citing “Ubuntu” – an African principal of humanity that is an important pillar of South Africa’s post-apartheid legal system – Roux said the only suitable penalty for Pistorius would be a community-based sentence.

Victim of ‘trauma’

“The punishment of the accused immediately commenced after the incident,” said Roux, arguing the “trauma” Pistorius has suffered since shooting Steenkamp is “far more severe than any other criminal punishment”.

Roux said Pistorius never intended to shoot the 29-year-old law graduate four times through a locked toilet door in his upmarket Pretoria home, arguing that the excessive force was a result of the double-amputee’s feeling of vulnerability in the face of what he thought was an intruder.

“Is it just someone walking to the door thinking there is an intruder, or recklessly firing shots into the door, or is it a compromised person acting excessively?” said Roux. “It’s a compromised person doing that.”

Pistorius was cleared of murder in September but found guilty of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, for which he could be sentenced to anything from a fine to 15 years in jail.

The sentence is at the discretion of Judge Thokozile Masipa, who is expected to hand it down early next week.

Pistorius has argued he is a perfect candidate for house arrest because he is a first time offender, needs specialised physical and psychological care that he cannot receive in prison, and is tormented by remorse.

“There is an absolute acceptance of the accused of the judgment,” said Roux.

Steenkamp’s mother June, sitting up straight in the gallery, exhaled a huge, shaky sigh.

State prosecutor Gerrie Nel has described the suggestion of a community service sentence as “shockingly inappropriate”.

The state is expected to make its closing arguments on the sentence later Friday.

TrueColors · Oct 22, 2014

Oscar Pistorius jailed five years for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp

Steenkamp's family 'welcomes' decision; prosecutor says athlete will effectively serve two years in prison and three years under house arrest

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 21 October, 2014, 4:27pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 21 October, 2014, 5:26pm

Associated Press in Pretoria

South African Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius attends his sentencing at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Oscar Pistorius was sentenced to five years in prison on Tuesday at the climax of a months-long trial of the disabled Olympic runner for the killing of his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day last year.

Pistorius was given prison time for culpable homicide after he fatally shot Steenkamp through a toilet cubicle door in his home.

Judge Thokozile Masipa also handed down a three-year suspended sentence for a firearms charge.

Masipa had a range of options for Pistorius’ punishment after convicting the double-amputee athlete of culpable homicide, or negligent killing - but acquitting him of murder.

Steenkamp’s ailing father, Barry, said he was “very glad” the seven-month trial is over and a lawyer for the family said the sentence was “welcome”.

Judge Thokozile Masipa presided over the Pistorius murder trial. Photo: EPA

As Pistorius was escorted to his holding cell, the Steenkamps' lawyer told reporters outside the court that it was the "right sentence" for Pistorius and that justice had been served.

The Steenkamps’ lawyer, Dup de Bruyn, said the sentence would likely be served as two years in prison and three years under house arrest. “In effect he gets three years’ correctional supervision and two years’ direct imprisonment,” said De Bruyn, after the sentencing hearing ended.

De Bruyn said that Steenkamp’s parents were satisfied with the decision. “They feel it’s right,” he said.

Visibly relieved, Steenkamp’s mother June turned to a family friend, Gina Myers, to thank her for her steadfast support throughout the trial before leaving the courtroom.

Pistorius’ lawyers had argued for a three-year period of correctional supervision, where the runner would spend periods under house arrest and also perform community service. Prosecutors asked the judge to send him to prison for at least 10 years, citing the “horrific” nature of Steenkamp’s death after she was shot multiple times.

Masipa said at the start of proceedings on Tuesday that the two legal assessors who had assisted her throughout the trial, flanking her on the dais during court proceedings, were not involved in the sentence decision.

“The decision of sentence is mine and mine alone,” she said.

Parents of the late Reeva Steenkamp Barry and June arrive at the court in Pretoria. Photo: AP

The judge said sentencing was about “achieving the right balance” involving a number of factors, including the interests of society. Masipa said sentencing was not a “perfect exercise” and that a variety of sentences might be appropriate in some cases.

Pistorius was asked by the judge to remain seated on a wooden bench in the Pretoria courtroom until she formally announced his sentence. He sat and looked straight ahead at Masipa as she read from her judgment.

Pistorius, 27, was earlier escorted through crowds of onlookers and into the Pretoria courthouse by police officers wearing blue berets. The parents of Steenkamp, the 29-year-old model he shot multiple times through a toilet cubicle door in his home on February 14, last year, were also in court to hear the sentence.

The courtroom was packed, reflecting heightened media and public interest ahead of the sentencing. Police officers stood guard in the aisles.

Reeva Steenkamp (left) had dated the Olympic athlete, dubbed "Blade Runner" for his prosthetics, for around three months before the shooting. Photo: AFP

Before proceedings started, Dr Lore Hartzenberg, a psychologist, held Pistorius’ hand and spoke softly to him. Hartzenberg had testified for the defence that Pistorius was a “broken man” after killing his girlfriend and had suffered emotionally and financially, and shouldn’t be sent to prison.

A Pistorius supporter laid three white roses near Pistorius.

“I just wanted to bestow a little bit of inner happiness on Oscar,” said the supporter, who added that she thought he had lost a lot of self-respect.

Outside the courthouse, a man in orange garb carried chains and a large sign that read: “Are certain offenders more equal than other offenders before the law?”

With additional reporting from Agence France-Presse

DefJam · Oct 22, 2014

After life of luxury, Pistorius will be one 7,000 inmates in Pretoria prison

Pistorius will be one of nearly 7,000 inmates in the once notorious jail

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 22 October, 2014, 5:19am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 22 October, 2014, 5:19am

Agencies in Pretoria

The Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Services prison is Oscar Pistorius’ new home. The athlete was sentenced yesterday to five years behind bars for killing his girlfriend. Photo: AP

Oscar Pistorius's fall from grace as an international star athlete was complete yesterday as he was driven through the gates of a drab Pretoria prison to begin serving a five-year jail sentence.

Pistorius will be just one of nearly 7,000 inmates behind the towering walls of the Kgosi Mampuru prison, where he was taken just hours after being sentenced for killing his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year.

Oscar Pistorius and girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Photo: AFP

Formerly known as Pretoria Central Prison, the facility was notorious for its brutality towards political prisoners held under the racist apartheid regime which collapsed 20 years ago.

The conditions in the prison will present a major lifestyle shift for the once high-flying Paralympian gold medallist who is accustomed to a life of luxury, beautiful women and fast cars.

"He is already accommodated at Kgosi Mampuru," correctional services spokesman Manelisi Wolela said.

He underwent a medical assessment shortly after his arrival and would be held in a special hospital section of the prison, said correctional services officer Ofentse Morwane.

This would be followed by a further assessment in 21 days to determine his "correctional sentence plan."

The 27-year-old double-amputee's physical disability formed a crucial part of his legal team's pre-sentencing arguments, which suggested he would face particular suffering in prison.

Judge Thokozile Masipa, however, found the prison services would be able to cope adequately with Pistorius, as they do with other disabled prisoners.

The department of correctional services has stringent regulations for inmates' visiting hours and possessions allowed inside, including food.

Sport clothes, including tracksuits, vests, socks and sport shoes are only allowed following approval by authorities. Computers are prohibited, and only one photo album can be kept.

He may receive letters and cards from family, to be kept for a maximum of three months.

Pistorius reenacted on Australian television how he found Reeva Steenkamp dead in the bathroom after he shot through the bathroom door at what he says he thought was an intruder. Photo: SCMP

The sentencing drew a mixed reaction. Standing outside the High Court in Pretoria, Trust Riunesu held up an image on his mobile phone. It was a picture of Gerrie Nel, the State Prosecutor who sought a 10-year prison sentence for Pistorius.

"I agree with Gerrie Nel," the 22-year-old said while a police wagon waited to take Pistorius to jail today. "The minimum was supposed to be 10 years. Society should learn from the court if someone does wrong."

At the bar owned by Steenkamp parents in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth, there were some customers who agreed, calling it a "travesty of justice".

But others were satisfied.

"I thought he would walk. I think justice was done because at least he got jail time," said 50-year-old Martin Cohen, who worked as a race horse trainer with Reeva's father, Barry.

"Now that justice has been done I think the parents will get some closure."

Agence France-Presse, Bloomberg, Reuters

mojito · Oct 22, 2014

It was just murder. Let us forgive and forget since he is about to do jail time.

BalanceOfPower · Dec 10, 2014

Court to rule on appeal seeking more jail time for Oscar Pistorius

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 09 December, 2014, 3:59pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 09 December, 2014, 4:09pm

Agence France-Presse in Pretoria

Oscar Pistorius was jailed five years for culpable homicide for shooting his girlfriend dead. Photo: AP

A South African judge will rule on Tuesday on whether to grant a state appeal that would open the way for Oscar Pistorius to serve more time behind bars for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Prosecution lawyers applied for an appeal after Judge Thokozile Masipa in October sentenced the Paralympic gold medallist to five years in jail after a trial that attracted worldwide interest.

Pistorius admits shooting Steenkamp four times through a locked toilet door on Valentine’s Day last year. He told the court he thought she was an intruder.

The judge found him guilty of culpable homicide, also known as manslaughter, rather than a more serious charge of murdering Steenkamp.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued in appeal papers filed last month that Masipa misinterpreted the law when she ruled Pistorius did not intentionally shoot Steenkamp, describing the sentence as “shockingly light” and “inappropriate”.

Pistorius, a South African athletics superstar after the double amputee competed against able-bodied runners in the Olympics, can qualify for house arrest after serving one-sixth of his sentence - 10 months - behind bars, which would mean he could serve the majority of his time outside prison walls.

The hearing is expected to take two hours. Should Masipa grant the appeal, the case will be heard in South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein, the country’s judicial capital.

Law expert Mannie Witz said Pistorius could get bail if the state succeeded in its application, the South African Press Association reported.

But the judge may not necessarily grant the appeal, siding with defence lawyers representing the athlete who say her interpretation of the law was correct.

If Masipa refuses to grant the appeal, the state can petition the decision, a common legal strategy in South Africa.

Olympian sprinter Oscar Pistorius (right) had been dating Reeva Steenkamp for some three months before the shooting. Photo: AFP

“I honestly don’t think that Masipa would refuse leave to appeal, there’s just too much controversy about the judgement,” said Martin Hood, a criminal lawyer based in Johannesburg.

“It doesn’t matter what the outcome of the appeal is, if the appeal is allowed then other judges will be able to comment on the decision, and that’s critical,” said Hood, who has been following the Pistorius case throughout the year.

Hood said that with the decision of a Cape Town court on Monday to throw out the Shrien Dewani case - another high-profile murder trial involving a beautiful young woman killed in the dead of night - South Africa’s courts need to demonstrate they are rigorous and fair.

“From a perception point of view, both public and internationally, we need to tell everybody that we have a robust and effective legal system.”

Pistorius, who celebrated his 28th birthday last month, has been serving his sentence in a Pretoria prison.

“He’s encountering many beautiful stories from prisoners. There are people there who have committed crimes but whose lives have changed,” said his older brother Carl, in an interview with You magazine, a South African tabloid.

Pistorius has been accused of receiving special treatment in South Africa’s notoriously corrupt prisons, where there is frequent reports of inmates using cellphones and even drinking alcohol behind bars.

Yet Carl dismissed claims his brother is living the good life, saying Pistorius relies on weekly 45-minute visits with his family to leave cash at the canteen so he can supplement his standard prison diet with tasty snacks, including baked beans and canned pilchards (small fish).

“He now lives moment by moment,” said Carl. “There’s no fairytale.”

BalanceOfPower · Dec 11, 2014

South African prosecutors win bid to appeal Oscar Pistorius conviction

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 10 December, 2014, 5:11pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 10 December, 2014, 5:18pm

Reuters in Pretoria

State prosecutor Gerrie Nel speaks during his appeal against the verdict. Photo: EPA

South African prosecutors on Wednesday won their bid to appeal the culpable homicide verdict handed down to Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and will now seek a murder conviction.

Pistorius, whose lower legs were amputated as a baby, killed Steenkamp on February 14 last year by firing four 9mm rounds into the locked door of a toilet cubicle in what he said was the mistaken belief an intruder was hiding behind it.

During the seven-month trial, the state failed to convince Judge Thokozile Masipa, 67, of Pistorius’ intent to kill when he fired, leading to his conviction for negligent killing – culpable homicide – and a five-year jail term in October.

State prosecutor Gerrie Nel said in his application to appeal on Tuesday that the judgment was “shockingly inappropriate” and requested permission to seek a murder conviction, which would carry a minimum 15 year jail term.

Nel argued that even if Pistorius did not know Steenkamp was behind the door when he fired, the athlete showed intent to kill whoever was in the small toilet cubicle.

“I cannot say the prospect of success at the Supreme Court is remote,” Judge Masipa said in granting the appeal.

Masipa dismissed the state’s application to appeal the five-year prison sentence, meaning Pistorius’ jail term will not be extended unless the state convinces the Supreme Court of Appeal to overturn the original culpable homicide verdict.

Her decision to rule out murder was criticised by several legal experts and the Women’s League of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) as an erroneous interpretation of the law.

Blade Runner murder trial verdict - Live Stream

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