South African state prosecutors will on Tuesday appeal in court for a murder conviction that would send Oscar Pistorius back to jail for years.

The disgraced Paralympic sprinter was found guilty last year of culpable homicide (a charge equivalent to manslaughter) after shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

At the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein, state prosecutors will try to convince judges that Pistorius should be found guilty of murder and sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in the prison.

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The appeal came just two weeks after his release from prison into home detention at this uncle’s mansion in Pretoria, where he will serve the remainder of his five-year sentence – unless the appeal is successful.

Pistorius said he thought there was an intruder in his house when he shot four bullets through the toilet door of his bedroom, killing Steenkamp.

According to court documents, prosecutor Gerrie Nel will argue that Pistorius intentionally meant to shoot whoever was behind the door early on Valentine’s Day in 2013.

The state lawyers have described the sentence as “shockingly light, inappropriate” and said “not enough emphasis was placed on the horrendous manner” in which Steenkamp died.

A panel of five judges will hear the arguments from the state and defence, with the proceedings scheduled to last one day.

Pistorius, who has not been seen in public since his release on October 19, is not expected to attend the hearing.