Does anyone else think this is a friggin farce?
Oscar Pistorius: why athlete has been granted bail08 December 2015
Oscar Pistorius has been released on bail until he returns to court in April next year.
The athlete's conviction for shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was last week changed from culpable homicide to murder.
Today, his defence lawyer Barry Roux revealed that an application for leave to appeal would be brought to the Constitutional Court.
He requested that Pistorius remains at the home of his uncle, Arnold Pistorius, until the appeal or – if the appeal is unsuccessful – he returns to the High Court for sentencing.
Judge Aubrey Ledwaba agreed to release Pistorius on bail of 10,000 rand (around £460) and postponed the case until 18 April 2016.
Ledwaba said Pistorius had proven that he is not a flight risk and had kept his bail conditions, even when facing possible life imprisonment, when charged with premeditated murder before and during his original trial.
Pistorius will return to his uncle's house but must not leave the district of Tshwane and must surrender his passport. The athlete will be electronically tagged and must submit travel plans to his investigating officer.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel did not oppose bail, but argued that Pistorius needed 24/7 monitoring now that he has been convicted of murder. "We feel strongly that he should not leave the house at any time," he said.
However, the judge said this was not in the interests of justice. Pistorius will therefore be able to leave the house every day between 7am and midday and can travel within a 20km radius of his uncle's home.Pistorius was present in court, but spoke only to confirm that the affidavit was in his name, reports The Guardian.
Defence lawyer Roux told the court that Pistorius could no longer afford the much higher bail of one million rand, initially agreed when Pistorius was first released after Steenkamp's death in February 2013. The 10,000 rand must be paid by this Friday.
http://www.theweek.co.uk/oscar-pistorius/53387/oscar-pistorius-why-athlete-has-been-granted-bail