PRETORIA // South Africa’s state prosecutors said they were “disappointed” by Oscar Pistorius’s acquittal on murder charges, but will wait before deciding whether to appeal the decision.
“We respect the court’s decision to convict the accused on culpable homicide, which is in fact a serious crime,” said Nathi Mncube, the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) spokesperson.
“We are however, disappointed that we were not successful in securing a conviction on the original charge of premeditated murder, negligent discharge of a firearm and possession of ammunition,” he said in a statement.
Judge Thokozile Masipa acquitted Pistorius on the more serious charge of murder ruling that he had acted “negligently” in killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The NPA will decide whether to appeal after the sentence is handed down next month.
“It is only after a sentence has been imposed that the NPA will be able to weigh our options, whether we want to take the matter further or not,” he said outside the courtroom.
* Agence France-Presse
