Judges hear Pistorius appeal

South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal has begun reviewing the Oscar Pistorius verdict that saw the double-amputee athlete serve only one year behind bars for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

After hearing from both prosecutors and Pistorius’ defence lawyers today, a panel of five judges will decide by the end of the month if Pistorius’ manslaughter conviction should stand, be changed to murder, or go to a new trial.

Pistorius successfully argued that he thought there was an intruder in his bathroom when he shot Steenkamp through the door in the dark.

A key point of law that prosecutors are noting is whether Pistorius should have reasonably foreseen that someone could be killed as a result of his actions, and went ahead anyway.

One of the judges today noted it would be a miracle for someone in Pistorius’ bathroom to avoid being hit by his shots, considering its size.

He’s serving the rest of his original 5-year sentence under house arrest.