No going back – Pistorius sentence appeal rejected
Judge Thokozile Masipa has rejected the State’s call for leave to appeal Oscar Pistorius’ six-year prison sentence for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The Olympic and Paralympic sprinter was last month told he would return to jail at a sentencing hearing in Pretoria.
Pistorius’ initial conviction of culpable homicide was upgraded to murder by South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal last December.
Six-time Paralympic gold medallist Pistorius claimed he believed Ms Steenkamp was an intruder when he shot her dead through a bathroom door at his home in February 2013.
The prosecution asked for permission to appeal what it said was a “shockingly lenient” sentence imposed on the 29-year-old double amputee, with murder carrying a minimum jail term of 15 years.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued that Pistorius should face a longer stint behind bars at South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on Friday, but Judge Masipa dismissed the attempt to appeal the sentence she imposed.
“I am not persuaded that there are reasonable prospects of success for an appeal. The application for leave to appeal against the sentence is dismissed,” said Judge Masipa.
Pistorius was originally sentenced to five years imprisonment in October 2014 following his culpable homicide conviction but was released on house arrest 12 months later.
