Oscar Pistorius files paperwork to appeal murder conviction
South African Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius has filed papers to appeal his conviction for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Andrew Fawcett of Pistorius’s legal team issued the following statement:
“The application has been served on the director of public prosecutions. They will now indicate when they will be opposing the application and what the grounds of opposition will be. Then we wait for the constitutional court to make a ruling on whether or not they will hear the appeal.”
Pistorius, 29, was convicted of murdering Steenkamp in December after the Supreme Court of Appeal overturned his previous conviction of culpable homicide.
Steenkamp was shot four times through a bathroom door in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2013. Pistorius claims that he mistook her for a home intruder.
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Pistorius could face 15 years in prison for murder. He is currently on on bail as he awaits a new sentence.
Pistorius was jailed after his first conviction but released after serving one year in October 2015 and was permitted to serve the remainder of his original five-year sentence under house arrest.
Pistorius is best known for becoming the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics. He competed in the 400-meter dash at the 2012 Summer Games in London wearing carbon-fiber blades.
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