Oscar Pistorius will not have to return to jail as he waits to appeal against his murder conviction, after telling a judge he needs daily internet access to study for a law degree.
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Oscar pistorius to study law
Daily Telegraph UK
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Oscar Pistorius, left, speaks with his defense lawyer Barry Roux. Photo / AP
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The 28-year-old athlete, who was found guilty of murder last week for the shooting of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, two years ago, said he had no income and no assets and was trying to find a job from his uncle's home in Pretoria, where he lives under house arrest.
He was granted bail pending an appeal to the Constitutional Court, South Africa's highest, after agreeing to pay a reduced surety of R10,000 ($1033) and wear an electronic tag on his wrist.
Pistorius told the court he had enrolled to study towards a R90,000 law and business degree by correspondence at the University of London and needed daily internet access.
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He also argued in an affidavit submitted to Pretoria's High Court that he would be "severely prejudiced" if he were sent back to prison because of an "anticipated delay" before his case is concluded.
Last week, Kevin Lerena, a boxer and friend of the Paralympic sprinter, said Pistorius had told him of his cell in the prison's hospital wing: "I don't want to go back to jail. It's a terrible place, so disgusting you can't imagine."
Pistorius was originally convicted of manslaughter for killing Steenkamp by firing four times through a locked toilet door at his Pretoria home. He claimed he thought he was confronting an intruder.