NPA wants Oscar sentenced 'urgently'

Prosecutors have been engaged in deliberations since the ruling by the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein overturned Judge Thokozile Masipa’s sentence yesterday.

NPA spokesperson Luvuyo Mfaku say they want the process to be concluded as soon as possible.

“We are currently deliberating and facilitating a process where he [Pistorius] appears in court soon for a date for the sentencing to be arranged.”

Also read: Pistorius family react to appeal verdict

He says during their discussions on the matter, the issue of Pistorius applying for bail arose, but the decision ultimately rested with the judge president.

“We can’t pre-empt the decision but they will listen to the facts and make a determination on the matter. For us, we want it as a matter of extreme urgency,” said Mfaku.

The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) yesterday ruled in favour of the State, setting aside a 2014 culpable homicide conviction by a high court.

The unanimous judgment was clear Pistorius gambled with the life of the person behind the toilet door by firing four shots with a heavy calibre firearm into a small space.

It referred the matter back to the trial court to deal with sentencing.

The SCA’s ruling comes almost three years after Pistorius shot and killed Reeva Steenkamp, later stating he mistook her for an intruder. He fired four shots into the bathroom door of his Pretoria home on Valentine’s Day in 2013.

He spent a year in prison and was released in October to serve the remainder of his five-year sentence under house arrest.

(File photo: Gallo Images)