State's appeal against Oscar Pistorius sentence to be heard in open
court
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[November 04, 2016]
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South
Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) on Friday told state
prosecutors and the defense to argue their case over the six-year
sentence for murder handed to Paralympic gold medalist Oscar
Pistorius in open court.
Pistorius was sentenced to six years in prison in July after being
found guilty of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on appeal
last December, in a case that has attracted worldwide interest.
Legal experts had expected the SCA to issue a ruling on whether
prosecutors have the right to challenge the sentence but instead
said both parties should first argue their case in court. The court
did not set a date for the appeal hearing.
State prosecutors, led by advocate Gerrie Nel, say the sentence was
too lenient as the jail term was less than half the 15-years they
sought. In his arguments at the trial, Nel said Pistorius had shown
no remorse for the 2013 shooting.
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Lawyers for the gold medalist, known as the "Blade Runner" for his
carbon-fiber prosthetics, say he did not deliberately kill model and
law graduate Steenkamp.
The athlete originally received a five-year sentence for a
manslaughter conviction, that was upgraded to murder on appeal.
Trial Judge Thokozile Masipa, who sent Pistorius to the six-year
jail term, dismissed a request by Nel to appeal Pistorius' sentence,
saying she was not persuaded that there was a reasonable prospect of
success at another court.
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![](../images/110416pics/sports57.jpg)
Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius leaves court after
appearing for the 2013 killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in
the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, June 14,
2016. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
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Nel then launched his case at the SCA, in Bloemfontein, 400 km (250
miles) southwest of Johannesburg.
(Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by James Macharia)
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