Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius Denied Appeal, Sends Raging Text

Fact checked
Oscar Pistorius

Oscar Pistorius has been denied an appeal of his murder conviction by a South African court.

He was asked by a journalist about the court’s decision that could see him going back to prison for 15 years.

The former Olympic sprinter and convicted murderer known as the “Blade Runner” showed his frustration by replying: “Have you no soul?”

The Mirror reports:

The Blade Runner was found guilty of murder in December after he shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in their home on Valentine’s Day 2013.

His legal team challenged the conviction, but yesterday South Africa’s highest court dismissed the appeal, ruling it had ‘no prospect of success’.

The decision means Pistorius, 29, faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars when he is sentenced for Miss Steenkamp’s killing next month.

Last night, the disgraced sprinter was asked by a reporter with the South African Times newspaper how he feels about going back to jail – likely, for many years.

In response, he sent the reporter a furious text, accusing them of being disrespectful and thinking only of their career.

According to the Times, Pistorius raged: “I have asked you not to call me. Do you not have a soul to respect someone in a time like this that all you can think of is your career?”Oscar Pistorius

The former Paralympian’s brother, Carl, had earlier broken his silence on the court’s decision via Twitter, simply writing: “Shattered”.

Pistorius, who is currently out on bail, is set to return to Pretoria High Court on April 18 to be sentenced for murder.

He was initially convicted of manslaughter after he gunned down Miss Steenkamp through the bathroom door of their Pretoria home.

But at the end of last year, judges upgraded his conviction to murder.

Pistorius’s legal team argue that the appeal court failed to take into account his ‘vulnerability’ as a disabled person, and wrongly dismissed the claim he was in fear of his life.

But yesterday, South Africa’s Constitutional Court rejected the athlete’s appeal, meaning he now has no legal avenues left to him to avoid going back to jail.

Pistorius had left jail on parole in October, and had been expecting to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest at his uncle’s home.

Yesterday’s stunning decision provoked emotional scenes as Miss Steenkamp’s mother, June Steenkamp, was hugged by family members at the court.

Meanwhile, campaigners from the ANC Womens’ League sang and cheered outside the building.

Pistorius shot Miss Steencamp four times during the killing three years ago.

He claimed the shooting had been a tragic mistake when he mistook his girlfriend for an intruder.Oscar Pistorius

But judges ruled he had intended to kill Miss Steenkamp during a row.

1 Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.