Oscar Pistorius’ prison sentence increased

Pretoria: A South African court on Friday increased from six to 13 years and five months former Paralympian Oscar Pistorius’s prison sentence for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

The Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein increased the prison term after prosecutors argued that the six-year term for murdering Steenkamp in 2013.

Pistorius claimed he shot dead Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day after mistaking her for a burglar. He fired four times through a locked toilet door at his home in the capital city of Pretoria.

Prosecutors argued that the six-year term was “shockingly light”.

However, a lower court justified the six-year sentence by citing mitigating circumstances such as rehabilitation and remorse. It said they outweighed aggravating factors such as his failure to fire a warning shot.

The athlete was not in court to hear the decision.