Oscar Pistorius lawyers fail in bid to stop sentence length appeal
Oscar Pistorius’ lawyers have failed in their attempt to stop prosecutors appealing over the double-amputee athlete’s conviction for negligent killing.
Cape Town Judge Thokozile Masipa dismissed their application to challenge the appeal by prosecutors, who want Pistorius convicted of the more serious charge of murder for shooting his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
In December, Judge Masipa granted prosecutors permission to take the case to South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal. Pistorius’s lawyers argued today that the judge should not have allowed that appeal.
Pistorius, a Paralympic champion, is serving a five-year prison sentence after being convicted of culpable homicide.
Prosecutors are bringing the case to the Supreme Court of Appeal. The Olympian could face a minimum of 15 years in jail if convicted of murder.
