Prosecution has announced its plan to file an appeal against the final verdict and sentence given out during the Oscar Pistorius trial. Prosecutors announced on Monday that they will be pushing for murder and a more severe punishment for the star athlete.
The South African court sentenced the Blade Runner to five years in prison after being found guilty of culpable homicide in lieu of him shooting and killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentines' Day last year. He had been previously cleared of premeditated murder by Judge Thozokile Masipa.
According to AFP, both families have accepted the state's decision to appeal.
"We take note of the state's announcement. The law must take its course," Arnold Pistorius, the Paralympian's athlete said in a statement following the news.
June Steenkamp, the victim's mother, had previously expressed her satisfaction with the final sentence.
"We feel justice has been done. We were happy with the sentence - five years is sufficient," The Week UK reported her as saying, noting that whether the sentence for Oscar Pistorius' trial had been longer or not, it would still not give her closure.
She added, "Nothing can - unless someone can magic Reeva back."
Even though she had forgiven her daughter's killer "in the Christian sense" she still believes that something terrible had upset Reeva enough to hide in the bathroom with two cellphones. She will be sharing more details about her daughter in the book, 'Reeva: A Mother's Story,' which will be published next month.
On the other hand, the model's uncle, Michael, told AFP, "If it's in the interest of society... then I think they should go forward if they think it's correct."
The 27-year-old athlete started serving his 5-year sentence on October 21. He was also given a three-year suspended sentence for firing a gun at a crowded place. He will be eligible for release after 10 months to spend the remaining appointed time in house arrest.
According to National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Nathi Mncube, "The prosecutors are now preparing the necessary papers in order to be able to file within the next few days."
Do you think Oscar Pistorius' trial was fairly judged? Will the appeal give the prosecution a chance to convict the athlete of murder?
