Actions

Court More Than Doubles Oscar Pistorius' Prison Sentence

The South Africa Supreme Court of Appeal said the athlete "displays a lack of remorse" for his actions and upped his sentence to more than 13 years.

By: Katherine Biek

Posted at 9:05 AM, Nov 24, 2017

and last updated 2017-11-24 09:05:16-05

A South African court has more than doubled Olympian Oscar Pistorius' prison sentence for murdering his girlfriend.

Earlier this month, prosecutors argued Pistorius' six-year sentence was "shockingly lenient." The country's Supreme Court of Appeal agreed in a judgment delivered Friday, increasing Pistorius' prison sentence to 13 years and five months.

Pistorius killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in February 2013. At the trial, Pistorius said he thought she was an intruder.

In 2014, the athlete was found guilty of culpable homicide. More than a year later, the appeals court upped that verdict to murder.

In South Africa, the minimum sentence for murder is 15 years. In 2016, the judge decided to give Pistorius a lesser sentence because of mitigating factors like remorse and rehabilitation.

In Friday's decision, one judge on the Supreme Court of Appeal wrote Pistorius "displays a lack of remorse, and does not appreciate the gravity of his actions."

Pistorius has already served one year in prison for the crime.