#OscarPistorius: Reeva's mom in court for State's appeal

Reeva Steenkamp's mother June is at the Supreme Court of Appeal this morning. Picture: Karishma Dipa

Reeva Steenkamp's mother June is at the Supreme Court of Appeal this morning. Picture: Karishma Dipa

Published Nov 3, 2017

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Bloemfontein - Reeva Steenkamp's mother June was at the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein on Friday morning where the NPA will argue that Oscar Pistorius should be given a longer jail sentence for her daughter's murder.

Her husband Barry did not attend.

A tense-looking Steenkamp took her seat in the front row of the public gallery from early in the morning, flanked by her best friend Jenny Strydom and lawyer Tania Koen.

Koen said the Steenkamp family did not seek retribution, they simply wanted justice, as nothing will bring Reeva back again.

June Steenkamp"s friend Jenny Strydom said they only want justice @IOL @pretorianews pic.twitter.com/ksZBHBiEtv

— Zelda Venter (@ZeldaVenter) November 3, 2017

While there is some media interest, Friday's proceedings is a far cry from the proceedings in December 2015, when the court was packed to the brim.That was when the State appealed Oscar's verdict of culpable homicide, which was then overturned and replaced with murder.

Friday's proceedings is only expected to last for about two hours. Both the State and the prosecution have handed their written submissions to the court months ago and the judges are aware of the issues. The parties will now only highlight some of the most important facts.

Pistorius's defence advocate Barry Roux arrived at the SCA earlier.

But former State prosecutor Gerrie Nel will not be present on Friday as he has since resigned from the NPA to join AfriForum.

The State's case will now be led by Advocate Andrea Johnson.

Pistorius is currently serving his sentence in the Atteridgeville Prison after he was moved from Kgosi Mampuru II.

The paralympian shot and killed his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a toilet door on Valentine's Day in 2013. 

During his trial, Pistorius was adamant that he believed that there had been an intruder in his house and fired four shots through the bathroom door. 

Prosecutors in the case felt that this sentence was too lenient for a murder conviction and will on Friday argue in the SCA that his sentence be amended to a more appropriate 15 years.

But Pistorius's defence team is expected to argue that the athlete has already spent a considerable time behind bars, since his imprisonment in 2014.

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The Star and Pretoria News

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