Oscar Pistorius has had his conviction of culpable homicide changed to murder for the killing of his girlfriend on Valentine's day in 2013.
A South African court upheld an appeal by prosecutors that could send Oscar Pistorius to prison for at least 15 years for the killing of Reeva Steenkamp at the couple's home.
The sentence he will serve was not specified at the hearing and that matter will be sent back to the trial court, the judge said.
Last year a judge gave the Olympic and Paralympic gold medallist a five-year jail sentence for “culpable homicide” of Ms Steenkamp, but prosecutors said he should be convicted of murder for firing four shots through a locked toilet door.
The judge said aspects of the first trial were flawed and that some technical evidence was not taken into account. He said re-trial would have been “wholly impractical” for both sides.
The athlete left jail on parole in October and was meant to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest.
State prosecutors who lodged the appeal had said Pistorius intended to kill Ms Steenkamp and that she fled to a toilet during a row. Pistorius denied deliberately killing Ms Steenkamp, saying he mistook her for an intruder at his home.
The case has prompted a fierce debate in a country beset by high levels of violent crime. Some rights groups say the white track star - dubbed “Blade Runner” because of the carbon fibre prosthetic blades he uses to race - got preferential treatment.
More to follow.
Agencies