{"id":377242,"date":"2017-11-24T13:38:16","date_gmt":"2017-11-24T13:38:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=377242"},"modified":"2017-11-24T13:38:16","modified_gmt":"2017-11-24T13:38:16","slug":"oscar-pistorius-murder-jail-term-more-than-doubled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=377242","title":{"rendered":"Oscar Pistorius’ murder jail term more than doubled"},"content":{"rendered":"

A South African court has increased Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius\u2019s jail sentence for killing his girlfriend to 13 years and five months.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors had argued that the six-year term for murdering Reeva Steenkamp was too short.<\/p>\n

The Supreme Court of Appeal ruled his sentence be increased to 15 years, less time already served.<\/p>\n

Pistorius claimed he shot dead Ms Steenkamp on Valentine\u2019s Day in 2013 after mistaking her for a burglar.<\/p>\n

The lower court had justified deviating from the prescribed 15-year sentence by citing mitigating circumstances such as rehabilitation and remorse.<\/p>\n

It said they outweighed aggravating factors such as his failure to fire a warning shot.<\/p>\n

He was initially given a five-year term for manslaughter in 2014, but was found guilty of murder on appeal in 2015.<\/p>\n

Pistorius shot Ms Steenkamp four times through a locked toilet door at his home in the capital Pretoria.<\/p>\n

Previously, the six-time Paralympic gold medallist had made history by becoming the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics, in 2012 in London, running on prosthetic \u201cblades\u201d.<\/p>\n

He had his legs amputated below the knee as a baby.<\/p>\n

Rise and fall of Oscar Pistorius<\/h2>\n