(ATR) The former Paralympian known as Blade Runner will now serve 15 years in prison for murdering his girlfriend following an appeal by prosecutors in the South Africa Supreme Court of Appeal.
Oscar Pistorius was convicted of murder in July 2016 for killing his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in February 2013. He received a six-year sentence for this original conviction.
However, prosecutors on the case called the sentencing "shockingly lenient" and appealed the decision. On Nov. 24, the court of appeal agreed with prosecutors and more than doubled Pistorius’ prison sentence to 15 total years. Pistorius has already served about a year and a half, meaning he has 13 years and five months remaining in prison.
The South Africa Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that the previous sentence was "shockingly lenient to a point where it has the effect of trivializing this serious offense".
The ruling added that Pistorius "displays a lack of remorse and does not appreciate the gravity of his actions". He will now serve the 15-year minimum for murder in South Africa.
Pistorius, the first amputee runner to compete in the Summer Olympics at the London 2012 Games, was banned by the International Paralympic Committee for five years in 2014 when his murder trial began. The IPC has not yet updated the suspension in wake of the new conviction, but Pistorius will not be released from prison until 2030.
The IPC did not revoke any of his eight Paralympic medals, including six golds from Athens 2004 to London 2012.
It is unclear whether Pistorius will appeal the latest decision to South Africa’s Constitutional Court.
Written by Kevin Nutley
Homepage photo: Oscar Pistorius on trial in a South African court for killing his girlfriend. (Getty Images)
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