Oscar Pistorius has been granted bail as he waits to be sentenced for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
ADVERTISEMENT
The athlete's initial conviction of culpable homicide - manslaughter in other countries - was overturned last week by the Supreme Court of Appeal, after five judges unanimously ruled that Judge Thokozile Masipa had made a "fundamentally flawed" judgment.
With the courts about to go into Christmas recess and no new sentencing date for his murder conviction set, there had been confusion about whether he would remain under house arrest at his uncle's home.
At the latest hearing in Pretoria's High Court, it was ruled that Pistorius was not a flight risk even though he now faces a minimum jail sentence of 15 years.
Granting bail, Deputy Judge President Aubrey Ledwaba said one of the conditions is that he hand over any passports and will not be allowed to apply for any passports or travel documents until the case has concluded.
Other conditions include house arrest and electronic monitoring.
He will be allowed to leave his uncle's house between 7am and midday, after the judge said it was not "in the interests of justice" to ban him completely from leaving the house. He will only be allowed to travel within 20km of the property.
Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford was in court and said the 29-year-old athlete appeared "extremely relaxed".
She added: "He was smiling a lot, laughing and joking with his friends and the defence team."
The runner was granted bail in March 2013, a month after he shot Ms Steenkamp dead on Valentine's Day at their home.
In October this year, he was released from jail after serving a year of his five-year sentence.
It is understood Pistorius intends to go to the Constitutional Court as a final resort against his new murder conviction and both sides will return to court on 18 April to find out whether the court will hear the appeal.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Reeva's Mum: 'We've Got Justice'"
In an affidavit filed in court, Pistorius said: "I have lost all of my assets and only possess my personal assets."
If leave is not granted to appeal, a date will be set at the High Court for sentencing on the murder conviction.
After Pistorius' conviction was changed to murder, Ms Steenkamp's mother June told Sky News that she felt justice had finally been done.
Pistorius has always insisted he shot his girlfriend after mistaking her for an intruder, but the appeal panel said it was irrelevant who was behind his toilet door.
"Oct 2014: Trial Key Moments"
The judges said his experience with firearms meant he should have been aware that death was inevitable after firing four times into such a confined area, which had left Ms Steenkamp with "nowhere to hide".
Sentencing, when a date is decided upon, will be conducted by Judge Masipa, despite her original judgment being overturned.
ADVERTISEMENT
She has been given this responsibility as she presided over the original trial and is familiar with the intricacies of the case.
SKY
The judges said his experience with firearms meant he should have been aware that death was inevitable after firing four times into such a confined area, which had left Ms Steenkamp with "nowhere to hide".
Sentencing, when a date is decided upon, will be conducted by Judge Masipa, despite her original judgment being overturned.
ADVERTISEMENT
SKY
No comments:
Post a Comment