S. Africa postpones Pistorius murder sentence to June

By Hassan Isilow

PRETORIA, South Africa

A high court in South Africa Monday postponed the murder sentence hearing of former Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius to June 13.

The Supreme Court of Appeal last December found Pistorius guilty of murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and overturned his earlier manslaughter conviction.

The athlete killed Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day of 2013, when he fired a handgun four times through a locked toilet door at his Pretoria home.

A high court in Pretoria initially sentenced him to five years in prison for manslaughter but state lawyers appealed after he was released on parole after serving only one year in prison.

During Monday’s brief court appearance, Judge Aubrey Ledwaba said a fresh sentencing procedure for the murder will be heard on June 13-17.

“Your matter is postponed to the 13th of June 2016 and it will be heard until the 17th of June 2016,” Ledwaba said.

The sentence hearing was due to begin this month.

State lawyers are expected to ask the judge to give Pistorius a lengthy jail term. Under South African law, a murder conviction carries a minimum sentence of 15 years.

The double amputee, known as the Blade Runner for his athletic achievements, maintains that he mistook his girlfriend for an intruder when he opened fire in their Pretoria home.

Pistorius won a gold medal at the Athens Paralympic Games at the age of 17, turning him into a national hero. In 2012 he became the first amputee runner to compete in the Olympics.