Prosecutors to appeal Pistorius sentencing

  • 22/07/2016
Prosecutors to appeal Pistorius sentencing

South African prosecutors will appeal Oscar Pistorius' six-year jail sentence for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, saying it was "shockingly too lenient".

The double-amputee athlete was convicted of murder for shooting his partner through the toilet door inside his house in 2013, after originally being found guilty of manslaughter.

Pistorius said the killing was a mistake, and he shot Ms Steenkamp because he thought she was an intruder. Prosecutors argued the shooting was intentional.

"The sentence of six years imprisonment, in all the circumstances, is disproportionate to the crime of murder committed [and] shockingly too lenient," the South African National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said in a statement.

Under South African law, the prescribed minimum custodial sentence for murder is 15 years - however Judge Thokozile Masipa said Pistorius should receive a shorter sentence because of mitigating factors, such as the fact he thought he was shooting an intruder, and his rehabilitation prospects.

The NPA says the sentencing "resulted in an injustice and has the potential to bring the administration of justice into disrepute."

Newshub.