Oscar Pistorius's lawyers have failed to block
prosecutors' appeal against his acquittal of
murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The six-time Paralympic champion is currently in
prison serving a five-year sentence for killing his
girlfriend at his home in Pretoria, South Africa in
the early hours of Valentines Day in 2013.
The 28-year-old was cleared of murder last year,
but was found guilty of culpable homicide
(manslaughter) when he shot dead Steenkamp
through a toilet door.
Prosecutors intend to appeal against the
conviction, and today Judge Thokozile Masipa
ruled in the Johannesburg High Court that the
application by Pistorius's lawyers be rejected.
According to BBC News, Masipa said: "In my view,
to entertain this application will be tantamount to
reviewing my own decision. For one thing there is
really nothing new in the submissions by council
for the applicant."
Pistorius denied murder during the trial by
claiming that he mistook Steenkamp for an
intruder when he fired four gunshots.
Pistorius 'furious about
appeal.