Oscar Pistorius: South African authorities issue arrest warrant for athlete

“‘No warrant has been issued, if it was we would have said so”, NPA spokesperson Luvuyo Mfaku told News24.

An arrest warrant for Oscar Pistorius has reportedly been issued by South African authorities, one day after the Paralympic champion was convicted on appeal of murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

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 global 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 Pistorius family has said its legal team will advise on legal options following the murder conviction against Pistorius, who shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

The minimum sentence for murder in South Africa is 15 years.

The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) on Thursday ruled in favour of the State, setting aside a 2014 culpable homicide conviction by a high court.

“No date has been confirmed for the bail application”. Prosecutors said he killed her after an argument; Pistorius said he killed her by mistake, thinking there was an intruder in the house.

The Appeal Court said the concept had been incorrectly applied by Judge Masipa in the original trial.

Under the previous widely criticized five-year sentence for culpable homicide, or reckless killing, Pistorius was allowed to leave prison in October to serve out the remaining four years at his uncle’s Pretoria home.