Gallo Images / Beeld / Deaan Vivier
Gallo Images / Beeld / Deaan Vivier
The Constitutional Court decided that they will not entertain Oscar Pistorius’ bid to have his prison sentence shortened. As reported by TimesLive, they dismissed his application on Monday.
Pistorius – who was initially given a six-year sentence for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp back in 2016 – saw his jail term extended to 13 years by the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein at the end of last year.
Supreme Court of Appeal hurt Pistorius again
He was previously convicted of culpable homicide, but the SCA were also responsible for upgrading his charge back in 2016. ConCourt has now since decided that the 13-year jail term should still be served by the former Olympian:
“The Constitutional Court has considered the application for condonation and leave to appeal. It has concluded that the application for condonation should be granted but that the application for leave to appeal should be dismissed as it does not engage this courts jurisdiction.”
What is condonation?
The statement released by ConCourt has raised the legal term of condonation. In law, it’s an application filed by either a defendant or the prosecution for when someone has missed a deadline for a previous application, or a filing demanded by the court.
It seems Pistorius’ team may have been granted more time to sort out the legal complexities of his case. But alas, it won’t be responsible for shortening his sentence.
How Oscar Pistorius’ sentences got longer and longer
The former Paralympic athlete was initially handed down a five-year sentence for culpable homicide, after a lengthy and gripping trial that captivated the world.
Although two years later, Judge Thokozile Masipa sentenced him to serve six years in prison, at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. She upgraded his charge to murder, but the state’s prosecution team didn’t feel his sentence reflected the severity of his crime.
Justice Legoabe Willie Seriti was prepared to give Pistorius a 15-year term, but he had already taken into account time served since his charge was upgraded back in July 2016. Pistorius has also served time under house arrest.
