Early December 2015, South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal overturned Oscar Pistorius’s conviction for culpable homicide and found him guilty of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013. The minimum sentence for murder is 15 years in prison.
Justice Eric Leach, who read out an abridged version of the judgment on behalf of the court, described Steenkamp’s death as “a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions”.
“This case involves a human tragedy of Shakespearean proportions: a young man overcomes huge physical disabilities to reach Olympian heights as an athlete; in doing so he becomes an international celebrity; he meets a young woman of great natural beauty and a successful model; romance blossoms; and then, ironically on Valentine’s Day, all is destroyed when he takes her life. The issue before this court is whether in doing so he committed the crime of murder, the intentional killing of a human being, or the lesser offence of culpable homicide, the negligent killing of another.”
Why the verdict in the SCA Oscar Pistorius case is a miscarriage of Justice. https://t.co/ax0Nf2PN3j pic.twitter.com/ytMd7DEQLs
— Dee (@Dee29659780) December 28, 2015
South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that the lower court did not correctly apply the rule of dolus eventualis – whether Pistorius knew that a death would be a likely result of his actions.
“He is a person well-trained in the use of firearms and was holding his weapon at the ready in order to shoot. He paused at the entrance to the bathroom and when he became aware that there was a person in the toilet cubicle, he fired four shots through the door. And he never offered an acceptable explanation for having done so.
“I have no doubt that in firing the fatal shots the accused must have foreseen, and therefore did foresee, that whoever was behind the toilet door might die, but reconciled himself to that event occurring and gambled with that person’s life. This constituted dolus eventualis on his part, and the identity of his victim is irrelevant to his guilt.”
In less than a week, however, Pistorius, who was living under house arrest at his uncle’s home in Pretoria, was released on bail of 10,000 Rand ($650). In his affidavit at the bail hearing, he said:
“I have enrolled at the London School of Economics for a BSc business with law degree. I study by way of correspondence and need daily access to the internet for this purpose.”
Loopys want ban 4 Donald Trump – but no outrage at Oscar Pistorius studying via London School of Economics- https://t.co/DsqP93WQGL
— REPORTER 47 (@REPORTER_47) December 24, 2015
@realDonaldTrump is a vulgar uncouth misogynist. Any intelligent woman supporting him is as irrational as those who support #OscarPistorius.
— Bud.Y.za (@BudYza) December 22, 2015
An LSE spokeswoman told The Guardian that there is no business and law BSc taught at the university. Pistorius may have been referring to the BSc in management and law, offered as an international programme by the University of London and which LSE provides academic support and direction for.
A lawyer for Steenkamp’s family told AFP that they “understand it is his constitutional right to (appeal), but believe it is a delaying tactic as they do believe that he is guilty of murder.”
Judge Aubrey Ledwaba of North Gauteng High Court has set April 18 as sentencing date for the former Olympian, known as “Blade Runner” for his artificial legs. Till then, the 29-year-old will be placed under electronic monitoring and will only be permitted to travel within a 20km radius of his uncle’s home between 7 am and 12 pm.
The latest twist: Austrian woman has claimed Oscar Pistorius flirted with her for months online while the double-amputee Olympic sprinter was on trial for killing her girlfriend, until he broke off all contact when convicted. The woman added that Pistorius used prepaid mobile phone cards, often changing his phone number.
Here’s The Daily Mail Shocker:
Pistorius allegedly called himself Liam in the thousands of messages he is said to have exchanged with a blonde, named only as Nina F, 30, before she learned his true identity. Nina told Germany’s Bild newspaper she fell in love with him over the Internet and that they ‘flirted’ for months via Instagram and WhatsApp. She claimed the Paralympian even told her he wanted to marry her.
There is no smoke without fire…
Did Oscar Pistorius (Liam) have a secret internet relationship in 2012/13 with a blonde Austrian ? @MandyWiener @news24
— Elmar K. (@EK63) December 18, 2015
Oscar Pistorius has the audacity to flirt in a bar with a woman late last week after all that’s going on. Damn.
— Caylen (@caylenwilcox) April 15, 2013
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