Pistorius arrives in court to try to avoid jail stretch for killing girlfriend

Oscar Pistorius has arrived at the High Court in Pretoria as he tries to avoid jail before being sentenced for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The athlete’s initial conviction of culpable homicide (or manslaughter in other countries) was overturned last week by the Supreme Court of Appeal, after five judges unanimously ruled that Judge Thokozile Masipa had made a judgment which was “fundamentally flawed”. Although the runner was granted bail in March 2013, a month after he shot Reeva dead on Valentine’s Day at their home, prosecutors are likely to emphasise that Pistorius may pose a higher flight risk because he now faces a further, lengthier spell in jail.

I really don’t care how long it is, as long as he pays for what he’s done and takes responsibility for what happened.

Reeva Steenkamp’s mother, June

With the courts about to go into Christmas recess and no new sentencing date for his murder conviction set, there is confusion about what will happen to Pistorius in the meantime - and whether he will remain under house arrest at his uncle’s home, in one of Pretoria’s most exclusive neighbourhoods. It is understood Pistorius will use his court appearance to announce he intends to go to the Constitutional Court as a final resort against his new murder conviction. The 29-year-old now faces a minimum sentence of 15 years. Pistorius has always insisted he shot his girlfriend dead after mistaking her for an intruder in his Pretoria home, but the appeal panel said it was irrelevant who was behind his toilet door.