BREAKING NEWS: Arrest Warrant is Issued for Oscar Pistorius The Day After the Blade Runner - Under House Arrest at His Uncle’s - Was Convicted of Murdering Reeva Steenkamp
- The amputee sprinter's manslaughter conviction was overturned in court
- National Prosecuting Authority will 'not enforce arrest until next week', according to ENCA news channel
- Criminal law academic James Grant predicts state will want Pistorius to return to jail pending sentencing in New Year
- Grant told MailOnline: 'The state is likely to argue Pistorius may attempt to evade his sentencing hearing and poses a considerably greater flight risk now'
- Reeva Steenkamp's father said his daughter can now finally rest in peace
Oscar Pistorius Guilty of Murdering Reeva Steenkamp
Daily Mail UK/BBC 4 December 2015
South Africa's prosecuting authority has today issued an arrest warrant for Oscar Pistorius.
They are pushing for the Olympic runner to appear in court as soon as possible so a date can be set for his sentencing, a day after the country's top appeal court returned a murder verdict.
The 29-year-old must appear at North Gauteng High Court 'as a matter of extreme urgency' and the court will determine any bail amount at that time, said Luvuyo Mfaku, spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
However, the ENCA television news channel said the NPA would not enforce the arrest until next week when the disgraced Paralympian, who is currently out of jail on house arrest, is expected to apply for bail.
The runner's family said its legal team will advise on legal options following the murder conviction against Pistorius, who shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.
Speaking to MailOnline, Dr James Grant, South Africa’s leading criminal law academic who advised the prosecution on their appeal against Pistorius’ sentence, predicted that the state would argue for Pistorius to return to jail pending his sentencing in the New Year.
South Africa's prosecuting authority has today issued a warrant of arrest for Oscar Pistorius. The runner (pictured during his trial) discovered yesterday that his manslaughter conviction will be overturned. He is now facing a possible 15-year jail sentence after it was replaced with a charge of murder
Reeva Steenkamp's mother June is comforted in court as she listens to the ruling convicting Pistorius of murder
Pistorius spent one year of a five-year sentence in jail for the lesser offence of manslaughter and then was put under house arrest at his uncle's mansion (above) in Pretoria in October
‘The situation is very different now from his earlier bail applications when he was first an accused and then convicted of culpable homicide.
‘He has now been found guilty of murder, a far more serious crime so the considerations are now different.
'As in all cases concerning a conviction of murder, the state is likely to argue that Pistorius has much more of an incentive now to attempt to evade his sentencing hearing and poses a considerably greater flight risk now.
'The increase in severity of the conviction between culpable homicide and murder will accompany an increased risk of flight.'
'Of course, his team may argue that he is too easily identifiable to attempt to evade justice.’
The bail hearing could last more than a day and will be held back at the High Court in Pretoria, where Pistorius was on trial last year.
Judge Thokozile Masipa, who is due to sentence Pistorius, will not necessarily be required to hear his bail application as well.
'The NPA said yesterday they will look at the judgement... they have now obtained a warrant of arrest for Oscar Pistorius in light of the fact that he is now in limbo,' ENCA reported.
'The state will wait until Tuesday next week, where we understand (Pistorius's lawyers) will bring the bail application,' it added.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court of Appeal overturned a lower court's manslaughter conviction.
Pistorius spent one year of a five-year sentence in jail for the lesser offence and then was put under house arrest at his uncle's mansion in Pretoria in October.
Pistorius shot Steenkamp four times through the door of a toilet cubicle at his home early on Valentine's Day 2013.
Prosecutors said he killed her after an argument. Pistorius said he killed her by mistake, thinking there was an intruder in the house.
Justice Lorimer Eric Leach of the Supreme Court of Appeal said that regardless of who Pistorius said he thought was behind the door, he should have known someone could be killed if he fired.
.
Pistorius, 29, was initially convicted of manslaughter for shooting Steenkamp (pictured together) through a toilet door in his home early on Valentine's Day 2013. This has now been upgraded to murder
Under South African law, a person can be convicted of murder if he or she foresees the possibility of someone dying through their actions and go ahead anyway.
However, the athlete could be out of prison in just three years, a source close to the trial has said.
The minimum sentence for murder in South Africa is 15 years but 'he can even get ten years and eventually only serve 30 per cent, so three years', said a source at Pretoria's High Court.
The source is said to be close to Judge Thokozile Masipa who found Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide and reckless endangerment but not murder.
The Telegraph quoted the source as saying: 'I'm personally relieved, I think justice has now been done. Most people say that he deserved murder. Perhaps it's even a relief for him too - he's not living a lie any more.'
The family of law graduate and model Steenkamp said she could finally rest in peace.
The shamed sprinter was not at the Supreme Court of Appeal to hear the decision but is said to be 'devastated' at the verdict.
It was thought he would remain under house arrest until he was sentenced in the New Year but he now faces the prospect of spending Christmas Day behind bars.