A South African judge says she will respond to the prosecution’s appeal of the Oscar Pistorius verdict on Wednesday.

The chief prosecutor in the Oscar Pistorius trial urged the judge to send the Olympic athlete to prison for at least 10 years, calling it the minimum acceptable term and noting the horrific nature of the shooting death of Reeva Steenkamp.

The bullets fired by Oscar Pistorius from his powerful handgun "ripped" through Reeva Steenkamp's body, the chief prosecutor said at the athlete's sentencing hearing today.

Oscar Pistorius is a “broken man” after killing his girlfriend because he lost the woman he loved as well as his reputation, friends, income and sense of self-worth, a psychologist has told his sentencing hearing.

Shamed athlete Oscar Pistorius has been released on bail after being found guilty of the manslaughter of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at a court in South Africa.

More than 18 months after he shot dead his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his luxury home on Valentine's Day 2013, Oscar Pistorius will finally learn his fate as a judge delivers her verdict in one of the most closely followed trials of recent times.

Oscar Pistorius’ "primal instincts" kicked in when he shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp because he was in a vulnerable and fearful state, his defence lawyer said at the athlete’s murder trial yesterday.

The chief defence lawyer for Oscar Pistorius is delivering final arguments in his murder trial, alleging the athlete thought he was in danger when he killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

South African state prosecutor Gerrie Nel asked the judge in Oscar Pistorius’ murder trial to reject the Olympic and Paralympic track star’s defence as "devoid of any truth".

Oscar Pistorius was an “appalling witness” who repeatedly lied in his testimony in a crude attempt to defend himself against a murder charge over killing his girlfriend, the chief prosecutor at his trial has said.

The chief defence lawyer in the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius says he has closed his case.

The defence team for Oscar Pistorius plans to close its case this morning after its last witness, a physician who has treated the athlete, completed his testimony at the murder trial, a lawyer said.

The defence team for Oscar Pistorius plans to close its case after its last witness completed his testimony at the murder trial today, a lawyer said.

Oscar Pistorius is severely traumatised after killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last year and will become an increasing suicide risk unless he continues to get mental health care, the judge overseeing his murder trial heard.

Oscar Pistorius is severely traumatised after killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and will become an increasing suicide risk unless he continues to get mental health care, the judge overseeing his murder trial has heard.

A panel of mental health experts has concluded that Oscar Pistorius was not suffering from a mental illness when he killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his home last year, the chief prosecutor at the athlete’s murder trial said.

The prosecution derided a forensic expert hired by Oscar Pistorius, accusing him of being unqualified to testify and rubbishing his account of the circumstances of Reeva Steenkamp’s death.

Oscar Pistorius refused to look at a photo of his dead girlfriend’s bloody head wounds while giving evidence at his murder trial as the prosecutor urged him to “take responsibility” for killing her.

Oscar Pistorius refused to look at a photo of his dead girlfriend’s bloody head wounds while giving evidence at his murder trial as the prosecutor urged the star athlete to “take responsibility” for killing her.

Oscar Pistorius has described what he said were the terror-filled moments before he shot dead girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Oscar Pistorius has told his murder trial he and girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp sometimes had troubles in their relationship but that they sorted them out, were in love and were planning a life together.

A tearful Oscar Pistorius apologised to the family of Reeva Steenkamp, telling the court he had “terrible nightmares” since killing his girlfriend and often woke up smelling blood.

Fighting back tears, Oscar Pistorius began giving evidence at his murder trial by apologising to the family of the girlfriend he shot dead.

Oscar Pistorius is expected to take the stand, as his trial resumes this week in a defence relying on forensic experts and South Africa’s notoriously high crime rate to explain how and why he shot dead his girlfriend.

Oscar Pistorius, expected to testify in his murder trial at the end of the week, said yesterday he’s going through ‘a tough time’ in a rare comment after the prosecution closed its case against the double-amputee runner.

Oscar Pistorius has said said he is going through “a tough time” in a rare comment after the prosecution closed its case against the double-amputee runner for the killing of his girlfriend.

The prosecution in Oscar Pistorius’s murder trial has closed its case and the defence has asked for time to approach some of the 107 state witnesses who did not give evidence.

The chief lawyer for Oscar Pistorius has sought to show that the athlete had a loving relationship with the girlfriend he killed, referring to telephone messages in which they exchanged warm compliments and said they missed each other.

South African police photographs of the scene where Oscar Pistorius shot dead his girlfriend show evidence was moved in violation of procedure during the investigation, his chief defence lawyer has told a court.

Police photographs of a bare-chested Oscar Pistorius standing in his garage on blood-stained prosthetic legs and wearing shorts covered in blood, taken shortly after the athlete fatally shot his girlfriend, were shown to the court at his trial.

Prosecutors in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial showed a sequence of photos showing the blood stains and blood spatter found on the floors, walls, stairs, and chairs in the athlete’s house after he fatally shot his girlfriend.

Prosecutors in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial displayed a sequence of photos showing the blood stains and spatter found on the floors, walls, stairs and chairs of his home after he fatally shot his girlfriend.

The chief defence lawyer at Oscar Pistorius’ murder trial has pointed out alleged missteps by police and questioned their treatment of evidence during the investigation into the athlete’s killing of his girlfriend.

Oscar Pistorius was probably on his stumps when he fatally shot his girlfriend through a toilet door, a forensic analyst has told his murder trial.

The brown, bullet-marked toilet door through which Oscar Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend has been set up in the courtroom at the athlete’s murder trial.

Oscar Pistorius became furious with a police officer who handled his licensed gun after pulling the car he was in over for speeding and later fired the gun out of the car’s sunroof without warning, a court heard.

Oscar Pistorius vomited in the dock and retched repeatedly and loudly at his murder trial as he heard graphic details of the injuries sustained by the girlfriend he shot, including a head wound that was probably instantly fatal, according to the pathologist who performed her autopsy.

Oscar Pistorius has vomited in the dock at his murder trial as he heard graphic details of the injuries sustained by the girlfriend he fatally shot.

The chief prosecutor in the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius has asked the judge to bar broadcasting of what he says will be graphic evidence from the expert who carried out the post-mortem examination on Reeva Steenkamp, who was shot dead by her athlete boyfriend.

A security guard who said he spoke with Oscar Pistorius soon after the fatal shooting of Reeva Steenkamp was questioned by the amputee athlete’s defence today about his recollection of events that night.

A security guard who says he spoke with Oscar Pistorius soon after the fatal shooting of Reeva Steenkamp was continuing to give evidence at the double-amputee athlete’s murder trial today.

Oscar Pistorius told a concerned security guard on the phone that everything was “fine” after neighbours reported gunshots coming from his house the night he shot dead his girlfriend, his murder trial has heard.

As his girlfriend lay dying, a weeping, praying Oscar Pistorius knelt at her side and struggled in vain to help her breathe by holding two fingers in her clenched mouth, a witness told a South African court.

As his girlfriend lay dying, a weeping, praying Oscar Pistorius knelt at her side and struggled in vain to help her breathe by holding two fingers in her clenched mouth, a witness told a South African court.