South Africa's supreme court finds Pistorius guilty of murder

Oscar Pistorius could be facing up to 15 years in jail after South Africa’s supreme court of appeal found the Paralympian guilty of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The court overturned a previous conviction for culpable homicide and ordered the original judge to impose a harsher sentence on Pistorius, who looks set to go back to jail for shooting his girlfriend dead on Valentine’s day 2013.

Although the minimum sentence for murder in South Africa is 15 years in prison, there is a possibility Pistorius’ defence team could prove substantial and compelling circumstances exist to deviate from the minimum sentence.

During the trial last year, Judge Thokozile Masipa ruled that the state had failed to prove intent or "dolus eventualis", a Latin legal term which refers to whether a person foresaw the possibility that his or her action would lead to death but carried on regardless.

Justice Leach said the verdict of culpable homicide – akin to manslaughter – was “a fundamental error”, adding that Pistorius must have known that firing into the toilet would kill whoever was inside.

"He fired four shots through the door and he never offered an acceptable explanation... he fired not one, but four shots... that is exactly what the accused did," said Justice Eric Leach.

"I have no doubt that in firing the fatal shots, the accused... did foresee that whoever was behind that toilet door might die."

Pistorius, who is currently under house arrest at his uncle’s home in Pretoria, was not in court.

Pistorius won six gold medals at three Paralympic Games and was known as "Blade Runner" due to his use of curved, carbon-fiber prosthetic legs.