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Oscar Pistorius murder sentence: South Africa's Supreme Court to hear state's appeal against six-year term

Some commentators described jail term as lenient

Samuel Osborne
Tuesday 19 September 2017 07:15 BST
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Oscar Pistorius was sentenced to jail for six years in 2016 for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine's Day in 2013
Oscar Pistorius was sentenced to jail for six years in 2016 for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine's Day in 2013 (Themba Hadebe/Getty Images)

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South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal will hear the state's appeal against Oscar Pistorius' six-year murder sentence, the National Prosecuting Authority has said.

The Paralympic gold medallist was sentenced to jail for six years in 2016 for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine's Day in 2013.

At the time, some commentators described the jail term as lenient.

Pistorius rushed to hospital after suffering injuries in prison

Pistorius was initially found guilty of culpable homicide and given a five-year sentence, but was later found guilty of murder after a state appeal.

His case was transferred back to the original judge and he was sentenced to six years.

The appeal will be heard on 3 November.

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