Pistorius firearm charges to be included in murder case in Pretoria
Oscar Pistorius is expected to face two additional charges in Pretoria when he makes an appearance in court for his murder trial in March, NPA said on Tuesday.
National Prosecuting Authority confirmed on Tuesday that charges related to the Firearms Control Act will be included in Oscar Pistorius’ murder indictment.
This comes after Pistorius’ legal team allegedly argued that the two charges should not be added to the murder case as they occurred outside the jurisdiction of the North Gauteng High Court.
“There is currently a process taking place to remove the charges from the South Gauteng Jurisdiction and move it to the North Gauteng Jurisdiction.
This means that the charges that relate to the Firearms Control Act will now be included in the main charge of murder,” said NPA spokesman, Nathi Ngcube.
According to reports, the firearm charges relate to two incidents. The first incident occurred when Pistorius allegedly fired his gun out of the sunroof of a friend’s car on the way back from a weekend holiday, while the second charge relates to Pistorius allegedly accidentally firing his friend’s gun in a Johannesburg restaurant.
Pistorius’ murder trial is due to start March 3, 2014. The 26-year-old runner faces a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in prison if he is convicted on the main charge of premeditated murder in the killing of Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day.
