South African Judge Says Prosecutors Can Appeal Oscar Pistorius Sentence

Prosecutors can appeal against the acquittal on murder charges of the double amputee athlete Oscar Pistorius, a South African judge ruled Wednesday.

The athlete was jailed in October for five years for fatally shooting his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Prosecutors said that the Jude Thokozile Masipa misinterpreted the law when she acquitted Pistorius of murder, and argued that five years was a “shockingly light” sentence.

The case will now go to South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeals, BBC reports. If Pistorius is found guilty of murder, he would face a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.

The 28-year-old “Blade Runner” was the first double-amputee to compete in the able-bodied Olympics in 2012.

[BBC]