SA prosecutors seek murder conviction for ‘Blade Runner’
Print Edition
Prosecutors yesterday called for South Africa’s “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius to be convicted of murder and sent back to jail for shooting his girlfriend, challenging a court’s decision to sentence him for a lesser offense.
The Paralympic gold medallist was freed on parole last month less than a year into a five-year sentence for the “culpable homicide” of Reeva Steenkamp, who he killed on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
Pistorius himself did not attend the half-day Supreme Court hearing into his highly-charged case, which has prompted a fierce debate in South Africa, and accusations from some rights groups that the white track star got preferential treatment.
Members of the ruling ANC party’s Women’s League attended the session and told reporters that Pistorius had been let out too soon and should have his conviction upgraded to murder, which has a minimum 15-year sentence.
Prosecutors argued that high court Judge Thokozile Masipa had made legal errors when she decided not to convict Pistorius of the more serious charge of murder last year.
The five Supreme Court judges said they would give their ruling at a later date, without specifying when. Legal experts say they could convict Pistorius of murder themselves, order a retrial or reject the prosecution’s appeal. Their judgement could take weeks.
State prosecutors said they would aim to show that the high court approached the circumstantial evidence incorrectly and excluded relevant evidence.
Pistorius, dubbed “Blade Runner” because of the carbon fibre prosthetic blades he uses to compete, has denied deliberately killing his girlfriend, saying he mistook her for an intruder at his home.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
