South African court doubles Oscar Pistorius's prison sentence

[Soph0571]

Source: The Guardian



A South African appeal court has more than doubled the former Paralympian Oscar Pistorius’s prison sentence for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

The supreme court of appeal (SCA) increased Pistorius’s sentence from six years in prison to 13 years and five months.

Pistorius killed Steenkamp by firing four bullets from a handgun through a closed toilet door in his luxury home in Pretoria on Valentine’s Day 2013. He claimed he mistook her for a burglar.

Steenkamp’s family welcomed the increased sentence and said it showed that justice could prevail in South Africa. “This is an emotional thing for them. They just feel that their trust in the justice system has been confirmed this morning,” Tania Koen, a spokeswoman for the Steenkamp family, said.


Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/24/oscar-pistorius-prison-sentence-doubled-south-african-court-reeva-steenkamp

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Good

[Ligyron]

2. He did kinda skate with the first sentence.

this is better anyway.

[underpants]

3. That's some legal system they have there

Not that ours is great in practice but between this case and Randy Blythe's ordeal in the Czech Republic ours really looks a lot better.

[Irish_Dem]

4. Justice being served. nt

[treestar]

5. What in their legal system allows a thing like that?

Very odd. You can't be sure of what your sentence is even as you serve it?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

6. We have indeterminate sentencing in this country.

So the prisoner knows the minimum term, but not the final maximum. Which means you can't be sure of the length of your sentence even as you serve it.

[rocktivity]

7. According to a July 2016 DU thread

The 29-year-old was initially given a five-year term for manslaughter, but was found guilty of murder on appeal last December...(P)rosecutors say they will appeal against Oscar Pistorius's six-year sentence for murder, calling it "shockingly too lenient"...
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-36855498

rocktivity