Pistorius family to be guided by lawyers on next steps

PRETORIA (Reuters) – The family of South Africa’s “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius said it would wait for guidance from lawyers after the appeals court ruled on Thursday that he was guilty of murder for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013.

Last year a judge convicted Pistorius of “cuplable homicide” for the killing of Steenkamp and gave the Paralympic gold medallist a five-year jail sentence, but prosecutors appealed the verdict, saying he should be convicted of murder.

“The legal team will study the finding and we will be guided by them in terms of options going forward. We will not be commenting any further at this stage,” Anneliese Burgess, the Pistorius family’s spokeswoman said in a statement.

(Reporting by TJ Strydom; Editing by James Macharia)