Trial of Oscar Pistorius
| The State vs Oscar Pistorius | |
|---|---|
The Palace of Justice in Pretoria
|
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| Court | Gauteng Division of the High Court of South Africa in Pretoria |
| Decided | 12 September 2014 |
| Transcript(s) | Judgment |
| Case history | |
| Related action(s) | Multichoice (Proprietary) Limited and others v National Prosecuting Authority and another [2014] ZAGPPHC 37, High Courts – Gauteng, Pretoria (South Africa) (broadcasting of proceedings) |
| Court membership | |
| Judge(s) sitting | Thokozile Masipa |
The trial of Oscar Pistorius for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp and several gun-related charges (The State vs Oscar Pistorius) in the High Court of South Africa in Pretoria opened on 3 March 2014. On 11–12 September 2014, Judge Thokozile Masipa delivered a verdict that Pistorius was not guilty of murder, but guilty of the culpable homicide of Steenkamp and reckless endangerment with a firearm at a restaurant. On 21 October 2014, Pistorius received a prison sentence of a maximum of five years for culpable homicide and a concurrent three-year suspended prison sentence for the separate reckless endangerment conviction.
Pistorius is a leading South African runner, who won attention as an athlete with a disability competing at a high level, including at multiple Paralympic Games and the 2012 Summer Olympics. Steenkamp, a model, was his girlfriend. In the early morning of Thursday, 14 February 2013, Steenkamp was shot and killed by Pistorius at his Pretoria home. Pistorius acknowledged that he shot Steenkamp, but said that he mistook her for an intruder. Pistorius was taken into police custody and was formally charged with murder in a Pretoria court on 15 February 2013.
On 25 February 2014, Judge President Dunstan Mlambo ruled in the High Court in Pretoria that the entire trial could be broadcast live via audio and that parts of the trial could be broadcast live via television, namely the opening and closing arguments, the testimony of consenting state witnesses, the judgment, and the sentencing if applicable.
In December 2015, the Supreme Court of Appeals overturned the culpable homicide verdict and found Pistorius guilty of murder. On 6 July 2016 Judge Masipa sentenced Pistorius to six years in prison for murder.
In August 2016, Pistorius has allegedly attempted to commit suicide, by cutting off a part of his arm. A blade was found inside his prison cell later the same day.
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Wikipedia