Oscar Pistorius appeal begins as prosecution seek murder conviction

A court has heard an appeal for Oscar Pistorius to have his conviction upgraded to murder this morning.

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by Ellie Hooper |
Published on

The Paralympian, who was released from prison last month after serving one year for killing his girlfriend, did not appear at the hearing - which was attended by his victim’s family.

28-year-old Pistorius shot and killed model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door in 2013, but has always maintained he thought she was an intruder.

In his highly publicised trial last year, the athlete was found guilty of Culpable Homicide (similar to UK’s manslaughter), but was cleared of the more serious murder charge.

Today in court, several senior judges heard the case to upgrade Pistorius’s conviction, even though the athlete himself didn’t appear in court.

No new evidence was heard, but the prosecution did argue points of law that may have been overlooked by the original judge in the case.

They mainly focused on foresight - the fact that if Oscar shot through a locked bathroom door, there was every chance that he would kill whoever was inside. They argued that whoever was behind it, was in fact irrelevant.

The court has adjourned for the day now, and the ruling will take some weeks according to reports.

Those in the court witnessed June Steenkamp, Reeva’s mother, hug the prosecution after it was adjourned.

She told Sky News she believed Oscar’s original sentence was ‘too short,’ and believes it sends a bad message to South Africa and women around the globe.

‘She lost her life, her career, having a child, her wedding and we lost her. It's sending a bad message to the public, especially the women of South Africa, that 11 months is enough time for killing somebody.’

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