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Court bid to increase Pistorius' sentence

Court bid to increase Pistorius' sentence

South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal is hearing an application by prosecutors to increase disgraced Olympic and Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius' six-year prison sentence for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day in 2013.

Prosecutors say the sentence is "shockingly light", and he should be given a 15-year jail term.

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Defence lawyers are opposing the application, arguing that the six-year sentence handed down by a lower court is appropriate.

Pistorius says he shot dead Ms Steenkamp after mistaking her for a burglar at his upmarket home in the capital, Pretoria.

The lower court said mitigating circumstances, such as rehabilitation and remorse, outweighed aggravating factors, such as his failure to fire a warning shot, for deviating from the prescribed 15-year sentence.

 


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