A South African judge has ruled that prosecutors can appeal against the acquittal on murder charges of Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius.
The double amputee was jailed for five years in October for killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
Judge Thokozile Masipa said prosecutors could appeal against the acquittal, but not the five-year sentence given for the lesser charge of culpable homicide.
Pistorius' lawyers had opposed the appeal request.
The case will now go before South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal.
'Public interest irrelevant'
The athlete's father Henke Pistorius said it "should not have gone this far", AFP news agency reports.
"Oscar is strong, he has to be strong, he grew up like that. There's lots of things in life, especially for a man like him that is... not fair," he is quoted as saying.
Prosecutors argued that Judge Masipa misinterpreted the law when she cleared Pistorius of murder on the basis that he did not intentionally shoot Ms Steenkamp.
Judge Masipa granted the appeal in the ruling in a Pretoria court on Wednesday.
"I cannot say... that the prospect of success at the Supreme Court of Appeal is remote," she said.
However, Judge Masipa dismissed the prosecution's argument that the sentence should be reviewed because Ms Steenkamp's parents had been extremely dissatisfied with it.
She also said the public interest in the case was "irrelevant" and she had ruled only on the basis of the prosecutors' case.
Latest Stories
-
Appiatse reconstruction: Support Bawumia to do more for Ghana – Richard Ahiagbah to Ghanaians
8 mins -
I wanted Harry Kane at Man United – Ten Hag
10 mins -
Ayorkumi: Stage play on slave trade premieres on May 11
11 mins -
Majority defends GRA-SML deal, insists no wrong was done
18 mins -
Church Of Pentecost disburses educational sponsorships worth ¢14,281,540 million
19 mins -
Money Summit: Fidelity Bank’s Atta Gyan calls for a rethink on investment strategies
34 mins -
WPL 2023/24: Battle for glory as Northern and Southern zone clubs chase playoff spots
42 mins -
Ghana’s Press Freedom Index improvement nothing to write home about – Sam George
49 mins -
Ghana Wellness and Healthcare Awards slated for June 14
52 mins -
OSP begins investigation into alleged bribery of EC staff by Kwadaso MP
58 mins -
Ghana FA laud Coach Zito with standing ovation after Dreams FC’s exploit in Africa
59 mins -
Asantehene worried over brain drain in African contemporary arts
1 hour -
Hearts of Oak legend berates current players for poor form
1 hour -
Unless EC has rules against officials receiving lunch money, nothing can be done in ‘envelope scandal’ – Prof Agyeman Duah
1 hour -
Singer Ayra Starr releases artwork, track list for ‘Sophomore Album’
2 hours