Oscar Pistorius re-sentencing begins ; now on murder charges.

It's been a 3 year legal saga which has been very dramatic indeed:,and it now appears to be coming to an end .Yes I'm talking about the Oscar Pistorius story.Supreme court judges of South Africa have overturned the previous charges he was facing which were man slaughter and culpable homicide. He is now facing murder charges and his trial has begun today 13th of June .

This follows a recent appeal made by the prosecutors.He was initially sentenced to five years on parole and released last year October to be placed under house arrest

A recap:

Pistorius was initially convicted of the lesser charge of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, at his 2014 trial for shooting Steenkamp through a closed toilet door in his home. He testified he mistook the model and reality TV celebrity for a nighttime intruder hiding in a bathroom, and shot with his 9mm pistol in self-defense fearing an attack. The trial judge accepted part of Pistorius' story, and he was given a five-year jail sentence based on the judge's ruling that he acted recklessly, but didn't mean to kill. After serving a year in jail, Pistorius was released on parole in line with South African procedure and has been living under house arrest at his uncle's mansion since October last year.

But following Pistorius' manslaughter verdict, prosecutors appealed to the Supreme Court, saying that the former star athlete, a multiple Paralympic champion, should have been found guilty of murder. They argued that Pistorius intended to kill someone — even if he didn't know it was Steenkamp in the toilet cubicle — when he shot four times through the door with no justification.

In December, a panel of Supreme Court judges agreed with prosecutors, overturned Pistorius' manslaughter conviction, and raised it to a more serious murder conviction. Pistorius must now be sentenced for murder.

Supreme Court Justice Lorimer Leach said: "The accused ought to have been found guilty of murder on the basis that he had fired the fatal shots with criminal intent."

So we know that he is definitely going back to jail,but the question is :for how long. Possibly 15 years which is the minimum sentence for murder in South Africa.

A recap of today's trial.

Summary: day one

Claire Phipps
The first day of the hearing to determine what sentence Oscar Pistorius will receive for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp has concluded.

Here are the key developments.

Two witnesses will speak in mitigation
The defence says it will call two witnesses: the first, psychologist Professor Jonathan Scholtz, gave evidence today. The second, so far unnamed, will speak about Pistorius’ charity work.
Scholtz: Pistorius should not return to prison
Scholtz said in his view Pistorius was “broken” and should be in hospital rather than prison.
Further imprisonment would have a detrimental effect on him.

[It] would not be psychologically or socially constructive.

Mr Pistorius would be better served … if he gave back in a positive and constructive way, using his skills.

The doctor said Pistorius’ depression, anxiety, paranoia and social phobia had worsened since his trial. He has post-traumatic stress disorder but is not a psychopath.
Scholtz said Pistorius cannot bear the sound of gunfire, even on television, and has sold all his firearms.
Oscar Pistorius in the dock during his sentencing hearing at North Gauteng high court.
Oscar Pistorius in the dock during his sentencing hearing at North Gauteng high court. Photograph: Getty Images
Pistorius will not testify
Scholtz said did not believe Pistorius was fit to testify in this hearing:
I don’t think he is able to be a witness in this trial: his condition is severe.

But chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel asked why Pistorius had then been able to give an interview to Britain’s ITV, to be broadcast next week.
‘His risk of reoffending is low’
The former athlete has participated in courses on anger management and restorative justice, and the doctor believed his risk of violent reoffending was low.
But he was ‘verbally violent and aggressive’ in prison
Nel said a separate report by a prison psychologist found Pistorius was “verbally violent and aggressive” towards staff.
Scholtz justified omitting this report from his own, saying it was a “poor report” and “unscientific”.
Barry Roux, for the defence, said an episode in which Pistorius banged a table came after he had been denied access to a painkilling drug, Voltaren, for three weeks.
There are conflicting versions of his time in prison
The prosecution argued that information in the psychological report about Pistorius being assaulted in prison and witnessing a hanging were untrue.

Scholtz rejected a prosecution claim that two antidepressant drugs – Molipaxin and Cipralex – found in Pistorius’ cell were “illegal”.
Pistorius ‘accepts he murdered Steenkamp’

Nel pushed Scholtz to confirm if Pistorius now admitted intentionally firing into the door and the person behind it (Pistorius had previously insisted it was an accident and/or self-defence):

Nel: Did Mr Pistorius indicate to you that he intentionally shot at the door knowing there was a person in the bathroom?

Scholtz: Yes …

Nel: That’s the first version of him intentionally shooting at the person that we’ve had in this court.

It’s not clear if the Steenkamps will testify
Nel has not yet revealed how many witnesses he will call, or who they will be. Reports suggested Barry Steenkamp, Reeva Steenkamp’s father, might appear in aggravation of sentence.
Nel said June Steenkamp had forgiven Pistorius, but “for her sake, not for his sake”.
Scholtz told the court Pistorius had paid the Steenkamps R6,500 a month because:
This is the kind of person he is … It was not seen by him as some kind of means to change anything … This is what he does: he helps.

The court resumes on Tuesday at 9.30am local time (7.30am GMT), when we expect to hear from the second witness for the defence. The live blog will return then. Thanks for reading and for your comments and questions.
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