The state has one month to argue its application for leave to appeal convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius’s six-year prison sentence in the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).
In a court order – issued on Wednesday by the SCA – the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is ordered to present its application in court and to file five additional copies of the application within one month of the date of the order – 2 November 2016.
Judge Thokozile Masipa sentenced Pistorius to six years in prison for the 2013 murder of Reeva Steenkamp on July 6.
The state then said in a statement that after careful consideration a decision was taken to file an application for leave to appeal.
It said the sentence imposed on Pistorius is disproportionate to the crime and “shockingly too lenient”.
The NPA also said it hopes that an appeal will further clarify the principles around sentencing, particularly in crimes where there are prescribed minimum sentences.
Cathy Dlodlo/Courant News
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