Oscar Pistorius avoids being sent back to prison after being
granted bail of just £450 as he awaits being sentenced for murdering his
girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
Oscar Pistorius has been
allowed to spend Christmas at his uncle's luxury villa after he avoided being
sent back to prison despite his conviction for murdering Reeva Steenkamp.
The disgraced athlete
will be strictly monitored and electronically tagged while under house arrest
as he awaits his sentencing hearing, set for April 18.
The former millionaire
was able to offer bail of just 10,000 rand (£450) to the court – a fraction of
the amount he offered in security nearly three years ago when he was first arrested
over the death of his girlfriend.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel
said 'his links to Italy and other countries' as well as the severity of his
crime which carries 'a minimum of 15 years' meant Pistorius needed to be
'monitored 24 hours a day'.
Pistorius, 29, was back
in the Pretoria High Court – where he was tried last year – to plead for his
freedom, pending an appeal of his conviction to South Africa's ultimate court,
the Constitutional Court.
Granting Pistorius bail,
Judge Aubrey Ledwaba ruled the athlete must surrender all passports and only
travel within 12 miles of his uncle's house, after receiving written permission
of police, between the hours of 7am and midday.
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