By Hassan Isilow
PRETORIA
South Africa's internationally-recognized Paralympian, Oscar Pistorius, will be sentenced on October 13 after having been found guilty of culpable homicide in the death of his girlfriend.
"I have used my discretion to extend the bail of the accused," Judge Thokozile Masipa said at Pretoria's North Gauteng High Court on Friday.
Pistorius, dubbed "blade runner," was found guilty of culpable homicide in the death of his model-girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his Pretoria home on Valentine's Day of last year.
The judge also said the double-amputee athlete was guilty of discharging a firearm inside a public restaurant.
State Prosecutor Gerrie Nel had earlier opposed bail for the athlete, arguing that Pistorius had disposed of his property and was currently living with a relative.
The prosecutor said that granting Pistorius bail would not serve justice as he did not currently own any property and had been involved in an incident at a nightclub during his trial.
But defense counsel Barry Roux argued that his client had sold his property in order to meet the costs of the trial and that he was not a suicide risk.
Asked by the judge where Pistorius currently lived, Roux said: "He is staying with his uncle. He has been staying there for the past 18 months."
The judge noted that, if the state had said the information about Pistorius selling his property had taken it by surprise, then the matter would have had some substance.
The high-profile trial has been ongoing for six months and has heard testimony from 37 witnesses.
The ruling, however, drew mixed reactions from South Africans, many of whom believe the judge was too lenient.
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