State's application to appeal Oscar Pistorius' sentence dismissed
Judge Thokozile Masipa on Friday dismissed the state's application to appeal Oscar Pistorius' murder sentence in the High Court in Johannesburg.
The state applied for leave to appeal the six year sentence handed down to the Paralympian in July.
Pistorius was convicted for shooting and killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day 2013.
"I have considered all the submissions by counsel for and against the application. I have also had regard to case law that I was referred to earlier this morning. I am not persuaded that there are reasonable prospects of success on appeal or that another court might find differently," Masipa said.
Pistorius's advocate, Barry Roux, pleaded with the court to let the matter rest.
He said he could not understand the state's argument that Pistorius' six year sentence was too lenient.
"Having regard to the fact, unless a person really behaves badly, they give about 60 percent of your time. That is an effective sentence of eight years that he received. That is not lenient. Not at all," he said.
State prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued that too much emphasis was placed on Pistorius' personal conditions.
"It is shocking to think that a sentence of six year, from a starting point of 15 years, is appropriate. We say that the court, with utmost respect, viewed sentence as starting from a clean slate, where the court should not have. The court should have started at 15 years," he said.