South Africa issue arrest warrant for Oscar Pistorius

South Africa has denied that a warrant has been issued for the arrest of Oscar Pistorius.

However, an appeals court has now overturned the original verdict, meaning he will have to return to court to be re-sentenced for murder.

The Supreme Court on Thursday upgraded the 29-year-old athlete’s sentence to murder from “culpable homicide”, South Africa’s equivalent of manslaughter, for which he had received a five-year sentence.

Reeva Steenkamp’s mother commented on the verdict: “Now we’ve seen that the justice system works. I feel it’s a fair decision that the judge gave”, before breaking down in tears.

He was previously quoted by eNCA as saying: “We are trying to arrange with the Pretoria High Court that he can appear before court, where the matter will be formally postponed for sentencing”.

In the early morning hours of February 14, 2013, Mr. Pistorius allegedly shot and killed the late Ms. Reeva Steenkamp at his home in the district of Pretoria. His trial, broadcast live on television, gripped many South Africans and drew reporters from around the world. “In a case like this, which is already in exceptional terrain because the state has taken the unusual step of appealing a conviction, there are big legal questions around double jeopardy and the legal ambit of the supreme court of appeal”, she said to The Guardian.

Steenkamp, who has campaigned against Pistorius’ conviction and his release on parole in September, closed her eyes as the ruling was announced. Pistorius said he killed her by mistake, thinking she was an intruder.

The SCA found that Masipa had erred on two points of law.

He also witheringly described Pistorius’ often tearful trial testimony as “vacillating and untruthful”.

The Pistorius family said in a statement: “The legal team will study the finding and we will be guided by them in terms of options going forward”.

Earlier, broadcaster eNCA had reported that a warrant of arrest was issued for Pistorius and it would be enforced next week when he was reportedly expected to apply for bail.