JOHANNESBURG – The defence for Oscar Pistorius has argued that the State’s bid to appeal the recent sentencing of the former Paralympian should be dismissed.
They said that any further attempts to appeal the six-year sentence is an insult to Judge Thokozile Matsipa.
Nevertheless, the State’s appeal bid will be heard next week Friday.
#OscarPistorius legal team say state's attempted appeal insults Judge Thokozile Masipa pic.twitter.com/KHrdut0Pe1
— Karyn Maughan (@karynmaughan) August 18, 2016
The former Paralympian was sentenced to six years behind bars in July for killing his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day, 2013.
In a statement shortly after the sentencing, the NPA’s Bulelwa Makeke said the sentence was “disproportionate to the crime of murder committed, in casu, that is to say, shockingly too lenient, and has accordingly resulted in an injustice and has the potential to bring the administration of justice into disrepute”.
Pistorius was initially convicted of culpable homicide and sentenced to five years behind bars, of which he served just one year.
The conviction was however last year overturned by the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein, who found that he was guilty of murder.
Trial judge Thokozile Masipa was ordered to hand down a fresh sentence for murder and sentenced Pistorius to six years after finding that there were reasons to deviate from the minimum sentence of 15 years for murder.
The six-year sentence meant he would be eligible for parole after three years.
eNCA
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