Pistorius to be sentenced for murder in S Africa court
July 06, 2016 09:35
Disgraced Paralympian Oscar Pistorius will learn today how long he will spend in jail when a judge sentences him for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp three years ago.
Pistorius was freed from prison in the South African capital Pretoria last October after serving one year of a five-year term for culpable homicide -- the equivalent of manslaughter.
But an appeals court upgraded the conviction to murder, which has a mandatory sentence of 15 years.
Due to his time already spent in jail and mitigating factors such as his disability, he could be given a lesser term.
Pistorius, 29, shot Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2013, claiming he mistook her for a burglar when he fired four times through the door of his bedroom toilet.