Oscar Pistorius has today been sentenced to five years in prison, for the culpable homicide of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
On the firearms charge, Pistorius was sentenced to three years in jail, wholly suspended for five years. Both sentences are to run concurrently.
Oscar, 27, sat still and silent in the dock of Pretoria’s High Court today after the judge, Thokozile Masipa, handed down his sentence, before being escorted to a holding cell.
June Steenkamp, mother of Reeva, told reporters in court: “It’s right.”
The former Olympic champion known as the “Blade Runner” had previously been found guilty of culpable homicide – a term used in the South African justice system that would equate to manslaughter in Australia. He was found not guilty of premeditated murder.
There is no maximum term for such an offence although experts say the typical maximum for such a crime is 15 years in prison and the prosecution argued for a minimum sentence of ten years.
The defence team meanwhile had argued for him to be given community service and house arrest.
Oscar Pistorius found not guilty of murder
Judge Masipa appeared to dismiss the defence’s arguments about the unsuitability of prison for Oscar. She said when handing down her sentence: “I have no reason to believe that the defendant would present correctional services with an insurmountable challenge.”
Referring to his disability she expressed “unease” at all the evidence – the “over-emphasis”, she said, about the Paralympian’s vulnerability. She said that he has “excellent coping skills.”.
Judge Masipa also emphasised how important it was for courts to treat everyone the same. “It would be unfortunate for the country to show that there’s one law for the poor & another for the rich and famous” she said.
In weighing up the sentence, Judge Masipa said:
“I am of the view that a non-custodial sentence would send a wrong message to the community.
“On the other hand, a long sentence would not be appropriate either, as it would lack the element of mercy.”
Oscar Pistorius pictured with the deceased, his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Oscar’s siblings Aimee and Carl Pistorius said ahead of the hearing that they were anxious about the outcome and that they thought the truth had been “twisted and manipulated” and “sensationalised”.
Speaking to South African broadcaster eNCA Aimee said that the past 20 months had been “very taxing”.
Aimee said she felt “heartache for both my brother, our family and of course [Reeva] Steenkamp’s family and her friends”.
Both the Pistorius and the Steenkamp families would struggle to move on, she said.
“It’s something that you never really get closure on… It’s something that my brother will carry with him for the rest of his life.
“It is important for us that [Ms Steenkamp’s family] know that she was very much cared for and loved, and accepted as part of our family in the short time that she was with us… [Reeva] had a wonderful charisma and zest for life that she just exuded and it was easy to just fall in love with her.”
Oscar Pistorius just hours away from learning his fate
Throughout the seven-month trial, which garnered worldwide attention, Oscar’s lawyers claimed that their client had mistaken Ms Steenkamp, 29, for an intruder and accidentally shot her in self-defence.
During a cross examination earlier in the proceedings, Oscar was an emotional wreck as he denied intentionally killing his girlfriend, a 29-year-old whom he began dating in November 2012.
Oscar told the court that in a country notorious for its high crime rate, he was terrified when he heard noises coming from the toilet cubical inside his high-security home and pulled the trigger thinking it was an intruder.
At the time of the shooting, Oscar claims he believed Ms Steenkamp was still in bed.
“I don’t know how she got up out of bed, I was in close proximity to her, but I didn’t see her get out of bed … It was pitch black and she was behind me so it’s not strange at all,” he said.
Oscar Pistorius had another woman
However, the state’s prosecutors were far from convinced and argued that Ms Steenkamp – a reality TV star whose career was starting to take off – lived in fear of her jealous boyfriend who had a shortfuse and an obsession with guns.
They went on to allege that the pair had a heated argument on that fateful night and that, in a fit of rage, Oscar shot through the closed door with intent to kill his girlfriend who was cowering inside.
Once considered South Africa’s golden boy, the champion sportsperson has always maintained his innocence.
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