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Pistorius appeal will be dismissed: NPA

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The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says it’s confident that the application of Oscar Pistorius to seek leave to appeal his 13 year sentence will be dismissed.

The former Paralympian has approached the Constitutional Court in a bid to have the sentence for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013 overturned.

Last month the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein increased the sentence to 13 years.

The High Court in Pretoria had originally found Pistorius guilty of manslaughter and sentenced him to five years in jail.

That conviction was increased to murder by the Supreme Court in December 2015 and his sentence extended to six years by trial Judge Thokozile Masipa in July 2016.

NPA spokesperson, Phindi Mjonondwana says they will file opposing papers before the end of next month.

Mjonondwana says: “As the NPA we can confirm that the Constitutional Court application papers for leave to appeal for Oscar Pistorius were filed at the NPA North Gauteng offices on the 18th of December and we will be filing our oppsing papers on the 26th of January 2018.”

She says the NPA maintains that the merits of the Supreme Court of Appeal were just and fair.

“We believe that the highest court of this land would not come to a different conclusion,” she adds.

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