Oscar Pistorius Sentence Trial Latest News Update: Prosecution Plans To Appeal

The prosecution team has announced that it will push through with its plan to appeal the conviction and sentencing of track star Oscar Pistorius who was earlier found guilty of culpable homicide in the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Feb. 14, 2013.

On Oct. 21, Pistorius was sentenced to five years in prison, a punishment considered as too lenient by the prosecution attorneys.

According to Nathi Mncube, the National Prosecuting Authority is going ahead with the appeal. An appeal could mean that the prosecution would ask the court to reverse its ruling and declare Pistorius guilty of premeditated murder. Premeditated murder carries a minimum sentence of 25 years.

When Judge Thokozile Matilda Masipa handed down the verdict, she noted that "it was about achieving the right balance."

She added that a longer sentence would lack mercy, taking into account that Pistorius was a double amputee. However, she said a more lenient one would "send the wrong message to the community."

As per South African law, Pistorius could serve 10 months in prison, and then spend the rest of his five-year sentence under house arrest. This possibility of Pistorius spending just months in prison was reported in many social media sites where many voiced their ire at the judicial system. The New York Times notes that one Twitter user called it "A slap on the wrist for taking a woman's life."

This outrage over the apparent leniency of the sentence is one reason why the prosecution has stated that they plan to appeal.

Steenkamp's mother June initially stated that she was happy with the sentence that was handed down and that she was glad that it was over.

However, she later divulged that she was "shocked" to learn that Pistorius was only found guilty of culpable homicide.

Pistorius' family is not planning to appeal the sentence. "We accept the judgment and we want to move forward with dignity and privacy," his uncle Arnold Pistorius said.