Double-amputee Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius may face more prison time for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
A South African criminal lawyer told AFP news agency that the prosecution in the Pistorius court case may be granted an appeal of the culpable homicide verdict and five-year prison sentence Pistorius received for shooting Steenkamp through a bathroom door four times in their Pretoria, South Africa home in the early morning hours of Valentine's Day, 2013.
Pistorius is eligible for house arrest in 10 months and already has spent more than one month at the Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria.
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She died of the gunshot wounds.
Judge Thokozile Masipa, who has presided over both the initial trial and the prosecution's plea for an appeal delayed her decision on whether to grant the prosecution an appeal to today.
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"I honestly don't think that Masipa would refuse leave to appeal; there's just too much controversy about the judgment," said Martin Hood, a criminal lawyer based in Johannesburg, to AFP. "It doesn't matter what the outcome of the appeal is, if the appeal is allowed then other judges will be able to comment on the decision, and that's critical," said Hood, who has been following the Pistorius case throughout the year.
The prosecution is asking for an appeal of the verdict and sentence, saying it is "shockingly light" and grossly inappropriate" for the crime Pistorius committed, BBC.com reported.
In filing the request for an appeal, Nel wrote that, Masipa had "erred in over-emphasizing the personal circumstances of the accused," according to BBC.com.
"Not enough emphasis was placed on the horrendous manner in which the deceased died, coupled with the gruesome injuries she sustained when the accused shot and killed her", Nel added.
The judge, Nel said, had failed to consider the magnitude of Pistorius' actions when he fired four shots "through a locked door into a small toilet cubicle from which there was no room to escape."
Hood said the decision on Monday of a Cape Town court to throw out a case against Shrien Dewani, accused of plotting the murder of his wife in November, 2010, could come into play if the prosecution against Pistorius is granted an appeal.
South African courts, Hood said, need to demonstrate that they are rigorous and fair.
"From a perception point of view, both public and internationally, we need to tell everybody that we have a robust and effective legal system," Hood said.
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