South Africa's state prosecutor will seek a harsher prison sentence for jailed Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, arguing his six-year term for murder is too lenient.
In 2015, Pistorius was found guilty of murdering his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, at his home on Valentine's Day two years before, in a case thatgripped the world.
The South African double-amputee sprinter, known as the "Blade Runner" for his futuristic prosthetics, maintains he believed Steenkamp to be an intruder when he shot her through the bathroom door.
Steenkamp's family have previously expressed disappointment at the six-year-sentence but the family's lawyer, Tania Koen, said on the eve of the trial that they trusted in the justice system.
The sentence "should send the proper message to society," Koen said.
Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp at a party in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2012. Photo / Getty
It is the second time the prosecution is appealing. Pistorius, now 30, was originally found guilty of culpable homicide, but this was changed to murder on appeal.
The National Prosecuting Authority said in September that they had launched the appeal because the minimum sentence for murder is 15 years.
"We believe that the trial judge was too lenient in imposing a six-year sentence," National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Luvuyo Mfaku said at the time.
Pistorius, whose lower legs were amputated because of a congenital defect, soared to international fame after becoming the first amputee to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games.
He is not expected to appear at Friday's hearing.
'THESE BULLETS WENT THROUGH REEVA STEENKAMP'
Last month, the bullets that were used to kill Steenkamp, were revealed in a TV documentary.
Nine News reported Captain Chris Mangena, the ballistics expert at the centre of the Paralympian's murder trial, analysed the bullet fragments to determine his intent to kill the model.
"These are the bullets that went through Reeva's body," Captain Mangena told Discovery's Faking It: Tears of a Crime, showing the mangled bits of metal.
The Black Talon bullets are designed to mushroom on contact, maximising the damage when it strikes a person.
"Because it's in a spinning motion, it starts by cutting a bigger wound inside and it breaks down," Captain Mangena said, according to Nine.
"The chances of it exiting will be very slim, but the damage will be huge."
It was Captain Mangena's analysis that led to Pistorious' murder conviction after proving the athlete knew he was shooting Steenkamp through the bathroom door rather than an intruder, as he had claimed.
He was initially charged with culpable homicide.
The Captain's crime scene investigation concluded Pistorius was standing on his stumps when he fired at Steenkamp, who was positioned behind the door.
"The whole case is built around ballistics because there aren't other persons who saw what happened there," lead investigator Mike Van Aardt said.
"That's the closest you're ever going to get to the truth."
He then went on to describe how she fell on to a seated position on top of a magazine rack - the location of which Pistorius knew - prompting him to change direction and fire three more shots, including a fatal wound to the head.
