Court increases Pistorius' sentence from 6 to 13 years

Bengaluru, Novrember 24; South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal increased Oscar Pistorius' murder sentence from six years to 13 years and five months after the state argued that his original sentence of six years was "shockingly lenient".

The state prosecution had appealed the sentence earlier this month, saying that Pistorius' punishment for murdering his girlfriend was too lenient.

It may be recalled that the Paralympian allegedly killed Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day (February 14) in 2013 in his home at Pretoria.

The 31-year-old double-amputee sprinter, known as the "Blade Runner", maintains he believed Steenkamp was an intruder when he shot her through the bathroom door.

Pistorius was not in court in Bloemfontein for Friday's (November 24) ruling where the court handed down the minimum 15-year sentence prescribed for murder in South Africa, minus the time the disgraced star had already served in jail.

It is the second time the prosecution is appealing. Pistorius was originally found guilty of culpable homicide, but this was changed to murder on appeal.

Pistorius, whose lower legs were amputated because of a congenital defect, soared to international fame after becoming the first amputee to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.