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Oscar Pistorius granted bail, sentencing set for April 18

(AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File)
(AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File)

Oscar Pistorius has been granted bail following his murder conviction, and will remain under house arrest.

Pistorius, the South African double-amputee Olympian known as the "Blade Runner," was convicted of murder last week in the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. On Valentine's Day 2013, Pistorius fired several shots through a bathroom door in his house, killing Steenkamp. Pistorius had claimed that he believed an intruder was in his home, and was initially convicted on a charge of manslaughter. After serving a portion of his term, he was released earlier this year for good behavior.

However, last week South Africa's five-judge Supreme Court of Appeal found Pistorius guilty of murder, ruling that he could have reasonably expected to have killed the individual at whom he was firing. South African law provides for a charge of murder if the accused goes ahead with the act that reasonably could end in a victim's death.

Pistorius was granted bail of $692, far less than the $113,000 bail he originally posted. He will be under house arrest at his uncle's home in Pretoria, and may only leave between the hours of 7 a.m. and 12 p.m. He may travel no farther than 12 miles from that house, and has surrendered his passport.

Under South African law, Pistorius faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, though a sentencing court could reduce that figure for extraordinary circumstances. Pistorius's attorneys are appealing the case to Constitutional Court, the nation's highest court. Sentencing is set for April 18, 2016.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter.

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