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Pistorius granted bail, to stay under house arrest

A South African court has granted Oscar Pistorius bail and postponed his case until April after the Paralympic athlete was convicted of the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Pistorius appeared at the Pretoria High Court for a bail hearing, in which he sought leave to appeal against the murder conviction in the constitutional court.

The judge agreed with the prosecution and the defence that the 29-year-old former athlete should stay out of prison until a hearing next year.

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“Since the applicant has attended court, he has proved that he is not a flight risk,” judge Aubrey Ledwaba told the court in Pretoria.

“I am of the view that it will not be in the interests of justice that the applicant should not leave the house at all.

“The applicant is released on bail of 10,000 rand ($AUD950).”

Judge Ledwaba postponed the case until April 16 next year.

South African appeal judges last week found Pistorius guilty of murder and overturned his earlier conviction on the lesser charge of culpable homicide for 2013 shooting.

Pistorius is under house arrest in Pretoria after serving one year of his five-year prison sentence for culpable homicide — the equivalent of manslaughter.

His lawyers had earlier said he could not afford further legal battles after paying huge bills.

The double-amputee sprinter, known as the “Blade Runner” because of the prosthetic legs he uses on the track, faces a minimum 15-year jail sentence for murder.

The term could be shorter due to mitigating factors such being a first-time offender.

Pistorius killed Ms Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013 after firing four shots through a locked toilet door.

He said he mistook his girlfriend for a burglar, while prosecutors argued that he had intended to kill her.

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