Oscar Pistorius granted bail by judge
A judge at a court in South Africa on Tuesday granted bail to Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius after he was convicted of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Judge Aubrey Ledwaba said the double-amputee had proved that he is not a flight risk, at a hearing in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.
Last week, the Supreme Court of Appeal found Pistorius guilty of murdering Steenkamp, overruling a previous manslaughter conviction.
Pistorius is currently under house arrest after spending a year of a five-year sentence in jail.
Judge Ledwaba granted Pistorius bail of $692, extending his house arrest until his sentencing on April 18. The conditions include that he can only leave the house between 7 a.m. and 12 p.m. with the investigating police officer's written permission, and must surrender his passport to authorities.
Barry Roux, Pistorius’ lawyer, said his client intends to appeal the murder conviction to the Constitutional Court.
Steenkamp was killed on Valentine's Day in 2013 after Pistorius shot her through a bathroom door. He says he thought she was an intruder. Prosecutors believe he became enraged after the couple quarreled.
Dubbed the "Blade Runner" due to his prosthetic legs, Pistorius was born without a fibula in either leg and both limbs were amputated above the knee before his first birthday. In 2012, the sprinter became the first amputee to compete in the Olympics.