Oscar Pistorius' Prison Sentence Doubled to 13 Years

Former Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius has sentence doubled to 13 years, 5 months for killing girlfriend.
Oscar Pistorius' Prison Sentence Doubled to 13 Years
Oscar Pistorius' Prison Sentence Doubled to 13 Years /

Judges in South Africa increased the jail sentence for Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius to 13 years and five months, more than doubling his original sentence for killing his girlfriend.

South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal upheld an appeal by prosecutors against Pistorius' original six-year sentence for shooting Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

Pistorius has said that he thought an intruder had broken into his home and he shot Steenkamp by mistake.

Pistorius, now 31, was convicted of manslaughter and a received six-year prison sentence.The double amputee was to be considered for parole after a minimum of 10 months of his sentence.

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The conviction was later overturned and a murder conviction was set in place in 2015.

A trial judge had previously said that Pistorius acted negligently when he shot Steenkamp four times, but did not intend to kill her.

"They feel there has been justice for Reeva. She can now rest in peace," lawyer Tania Koen told The Associated Press. "But at the same time, people must realize that people think this is the end of the road for them ... the fact is they still live with Reeva's loss every day."

Pistorius has to serve at least half of his new sentence before he is considered for parole.


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