Prison looms again for Pistorius after conviction

JOHANNESBURG— An appeals court decided Thursday that Oscar Pistorius got away with murder when he stood trial for killing his girlfriend, a ruling that will almost certainly send the disgraced Olympian back to prison.

The court overturned his conviction on the lesser charge of manslaughter in the 2013 shooting death of model Reeva Steenkamp and instead found Pistorius guilty of murder.

The latest dramatic twist in the case of the double amputee runner was “a human tragedy of Shakespearean proportions,” wrote Justice Lorimer Eric Leach.

Pistorius, who is under house arrest at his uncle’s mansion in Pretoria, was not in the Bloemfontein courtroom for the verdict. Steenkamp’s mother, June, sat impassively as Leach read the verdict.

The 29-year-old Pistorius served one year of a fiveyear sentence before being put under house arrest in October.

The minimum sentence for murder in South Africa is 15 years, but exceptional circumstances in the case of the former track star, including time served, his disability and his status as a first-time offender, could mean a lower sentence.

Sentencing is up to the North Gauteng High Court, where Pistorius was tried. South African media said Judge Thokozile Masipa, who presided over the original trial, will handle the matter. No sentencing date has been set.

The Pistorius family said in a statement: “The legal team will study the finding and we will be guided by them in terms of options going forward.”

Steenkamp’s father, Barry, told South African television channel ANN7 that the judgment was fair.

“Let us now all get on with our lives,” he said.

His voice breaking with emotion, he said of his daughter: “I’m sure she’ll be able to rest as well now.”