South Africa Appeal Court Convicts Oscar Pistorius For Murder

Posted by African Examiner African News, Featured, Latest Headlines Thursday, December 3rd, 2015

The South African Olympic athlete star who has been under house arrest, Oscar Pistorius, has been convicted by a Johannesburg court of appeal of murder.

The Thursday ruling nullified the earlier court verdict, which absolved him of manslaughter.

In addition to the house arrest, Pistorius has been ordered earlier by the court to spend a year out of his original five years sentence in jail.
With the latest ruling, the Olympic medalist is expected to approach court to be re-sentenced for murder.
It has been previously and incorrectly reported that the court ruling on manslaughter against the convict would stand.

Consequently, SA’s Supreme Court of Appeal held that the lower court did not properly apply the rule of dolus eventualis – whether Pistorius is aware that death is the possible result of his actions. The minimum sentence for murder in SA is 15 years; still, jurists can apply some discretion.

Since SA law does not make provision for an accused to be placed under house arrest for over five years, by implication, embattled Pistorius will have to return to the prison.

Pistorius on February 14, 2013 killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, when he shot at her four times, through a locked toilet door.