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South African court grants Pistorius bail after murder conviction

The Supreme Court last Thursday upgraded the 29-year-old athlete's sentence to murder from "culpable homicide"

Reuters December 08, 2015

Oscar Pistorius (L) speaks with his defence advocate Barry Roux in the dock at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, South Africa for a bail hearing, December 8, 2015. PHOTO: REUTERS

PRETORIA: A South African court on Tuesday granted bail to paralympian Oscar Pistorius after he was convicted of murder for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day 2013, with the judge saying the athlete did not pose a flight risk.

The Supreme Court last Thursday upgraded the 29-year-old athlete's sentence to murder from culpable homicide, South Africa's equivalent of manslaughter, for which he had received a five-year sentence.

South Africa's Supreme Court finds Oscar Pistorius guilty of murder

Known as "Blade Runner" because of the carbon fibre prosthetic blades he used to race, Pistorius now faces a minimum 15-year jail sentence for murdering his girlfriend. A new sentence will be handed down at a later date.

Pistorius, who said he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder when he opened fire with his pistol, was released from prison on parole in October after serving one year of his five-year sentence.

Pistorious shoots girlfriend dead

His trial attracted worldwide attention as he denied killing Steenkamp in a rage after the couple had gone to bed at his house in Pretoria.

COMMENTS (1)

Hassan Ather | 8 years ago | Reply I am dsiturbed by reading this news, how can he get a bail after what he did to his girlfriend, you can't explain how one can keep shooting(4 rounds) a person whose screams could be heard by the neighbors during the incident but not by the perpetrator(Postorious)!!! He didn't take those screams to be his girlfriend's. Its evident from the Forensics that she struggled and tried to take shelter during the incident, and how is it possible that she wouldn't have called Pistorious for help! It's really upsetting for me and I think Reeva's family would also be disturbed and hurt by getting this news.

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