South African appeals court more than doubles Pistorius sentence

FILE PHOTO - Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius leaves court after appearing for the 2013 killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's Supreme Court more than doubled Oscar Pistorius' murder sentence on Friday, accepting prosecutors' argument that the original jail term of six years for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was "shockingly lenient".

The gold medal-winning athlete, a double amputee known as the "Blade Runner" for his carbon-fibre prosthetics, was not in court to hear the new sentence of 13 years and five months handed down.