Court extends Oscar Pistorius’s jail term to 13 years for murdering his girlfriend

Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius got his jail term increased to 13 years and five months  by a South African court for killing his girlfriend.

The Prosecutors had earlier argued that the six-year term for murdering Reeva Steenkamp was “shockingly light”.

A spokesman for Ms Steenkamp’s family said the ruling “verified there was justice”.

Pistorius claimed he shot dead Ms Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013 after mistaking her for a burglar.

The Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein has now given him the minimum 15 years prescribed for murder in South Africa, less time already served.

The lower court had justified the six-year sentence by citing mitigating circumstances such as rehabilitation and remorse.

It said they outweighed aggravating factors such as his failure to fire a warning shot

He was initially given a five-year term for manslaughter in 2014, but was found guilty of murder on appeal in 2015.

Source: ( BBC News )