Oscar Pistorius will remain under house arrest pending his sentencing for his murder conviction after a South African judge granted bail to the Olympic athlete.
The country’s Supreme Court of Appeal convicted Pistorius on Thursday of murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013, overturning a lower court’s conviction of the lesser crime of manslaughter.
The appeals court then said the double-amputee Olympian should be sentenced by the lower court.
Judge Aubrey Ledwaba of that court, the North Gauteng High Court, granted Pistorius bail of $692 and extended his house arrest until his sentencing hearing, which he set for April 18.
The judge said Pistorius will be placed under electronic monitoring and may only leave his uncle’s home between 7am and 12pm.
Pistorius may not travel further than a 12-mile radius outside of his uncle’s mansion in a Pretoria suburb, the judge ruled.
He must also hand over his passport to the police.
Earlier, the state argued that Pistorius may try to flee and asked for strict bail conditions but did not say he should be sent back to prison before sentencing.
Pistorius’ bail is a fraction of the $113,000 bail he paid when he first appeared in court for the 2013 shooting.
In the meantime, Pistorius’ legal team plan to appeal his murder conviction in South Africa’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, chief defence lawyer Barry Roux said.
The former track star’s lawyer did not say on what basis he would be appealing the murder conviction at the Constitutional Court, South Africa’s highest court.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel told the court that he doubted that this next appeal would be successful.
“We’re not convinced that the accused has made out a good case and that his application to the Constitutional Court will be successful, but we acknowledge that he has the right to bring such an application,” said Nel.
Pistorius shot Steenkamp through the door of a toilet cubicle in his home early on Valentine’s Day 2013. Prosecutors said he killed her after an argument; Pistorius said he killed her by mistake, thinking there was an intruder in the house.
The appeals court said that regardless of who was behind the door, Pistorius should have known someone could be killed if he fired multiple times. Under
Pistorius went to the North Gauteng High Court from his uncle’s mansion in Pretoria, where Pistorius had been serving his house arrest for the manslaughter conviction. He is to continue to remain there under house arrest until sentencing.
The minimum sentence for murder in South Africa is 15 years, though a judge can reduce that sentence for what the law describes as exceptional circumstances.
Prosecutors did not argue for incarceration for Pistorius pending sentencing for murder, saying tight bail conditions are sufficient.
South Africa’s prisons are overcrowded and Pistorius was previously jailed in special circumstances because of his high profile and disability. In a logistical challenge for prison authorities, Pistorius was held apart from other prisoners in the hospital wing of a Pretoria prison and had a bathroom fitted with railings to assist with his disability.
Court extends Pistorius’s house arrest
