Tuesday, 8 December 2015

OSCAR PISTORIUS GRANTED BAIL FOR R10,000 AFTER MURDER CONVICTION


South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius has been granted bail while he awaits sentence for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

Judges changed his manslaughter conviction to murder last week. He now faces a minimum 15-year jail sentence for the murder of Ms Steenkamp.

The sentencing hearing is due to be held on 18 April next year. The athlete would also appeal against his murder conviction in the Constitutional Court, his lawyer said.


Bail has been set at 10,000 rand ($700, £450). Pistorius was deemed not to be a flight risk by Judge Audrey Ledwaba.
Pistorius can remain under house arrest at his uncle's home until sentencing next year, and will be electronically tagged. He also has to hand over his passport.

He will be able to leave the house between 7am and midday, but will only be able to move within a 20km (12 miles) radius.
He is currently under house arrest after spending one year of his original five-year sentence in jail.

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Media captionKey events in Oscar Pistorius' life - in 60 seconds
In his bail affidavit, he said he had no income. During the hearing, his lawyer said he was only able to pay a sum of 10,000 rand for his bail.

The 29-year-old killed Ms Steenkamp on Valentine's Day after shooting four times through a locked toilet door.
Pistorius is a six-time Paralympic gold medallist whose legs were amputated below the knee as a baby. He made history by becoming the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics, in 2012, running on prosthetic "blades".




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