Oscar Pistorius’ Trial

Pistorius, 29, shot Reeva Steenkamp four times through a locked toilet door in February 2013. He admitted shooting her, but said he had mistaken Ms Steenkamp for an intruder and acted out of fear

South African Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to six years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

He was initially given a five-year term for manslaughter, but was found guilty of murder on appeal last December. He was taken immediately to jail. Both the prosecution and defence can appeal, but his lawyers say they will not. Pistorius, 29, shot Reeva Steenkamp four times through a locked toilet door in February 2013.

He admitted shooting her, but said he had mistaken Ms Steenkamp for an intruder and acted out of fear.

Judge Thokozile Masipa said mitigating circumstances, such as rehabilitation and remorse, outweighed aggravating factors, such as his failure to fire a warning shot, for deviating from the prescribed 15-year sentence.

Shock and dismay, by Pumza Fihlani, BBC News, Pretoria

Many have expressed shock at Pistorius’s sentence, which is much less than the prescribed minimum for murder. South Africans have taken to social media to express their unhappiness, with some describing the prison term as an insult.

Outside court, legal experts said the sentence was too little. “The judge was sympathetic and empathetic to Pistorius. It was clear in the tone of her entire judgement,” one said.

But Judge Masipa said she had carefully considered the circumstances around Reeva Steenkamp’s death and her sentence needed to be fair to both Pistorius and the family of the deceased.

South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, and some say a short sentence will send the wrong message to would-be-offenders.

Dressed in a dark suit, Pistorius sat and listened to the hour-long session mostly with his head down. He hugged his sister after the verdict, and was taken to Pretoria’s Khosi Mampuru prison. Ms Steenkamp’s parents, Barry and June, sat quietly on the other side of the packed courtroom.

Pistorius has already served one year in jail over his previous conviction. He is legally obliged to serve half of his new term before being eligible for parole. His legal team said he would serve the sentence prescribed and would only act to appeal if prosecutors indicated they wanted to appeal.

Pistorius hugged his sister Aimee before being taken away to prison.

Reeva Steenkamp's parents were at the court to listen to the sentencing. — Reeva Steenkamp’s parents were at the court to listen to the sentencing.

Journalists crowded around a van believed to be carrying Pistorius to jail after his sentencing.

Prosecutors have not ruled it out and still have 14 days to decide if they will do so, correspondents say. Barry Steenkamp told the BBC he was pleased that the trial was over, even though life would never be the same again. Ms Steenkamp’s parents had previously expressed disappointment with the initial sentence, an opinion shared by many South Africans. Women’s rights groups considered it too lenient.

But Judge Masipa said her opinion was that “a long term in prison will not serve justice”.

“Public opinion may be loud and persistent but it can play no role in the decision of this court.”

Ms Masipa also said there was “no indication” that the victim was in an abusive relationship or this was a case of “gender violence”.

Some rights groups have also argued that Pistorius, a wealthy white man and international celebrity, has received preferential treatment compared with others who lack his status or wealth.

The Women’s League of the governing African National Congress (ANCWL) condemned the sentence as too lenient. “It is an insult to women in this country,” ANCWL spokeswoman Jacqueline Mofokeng told Reuters news agency.

The six-time Paralympic gold medallist made history by becoming the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics, in 2012 in London, running on prosthetic “blades”.

He had his legs amputated below the knee as a baby.

By TJ Strydom and Tanisha Heiberg

PRETORIA (Reuters) – Oscar Pistorius shuffled through a Pretoria court without his prosthetic legs on Wednesday to show how vulnerable he is as the Paralympian seeks to avoid prison for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The 29-year-old faces a minimum 15-year jail term for the Valentine’s Day killing in 2013 in a case that has attracted worldwide interest and divided South Africa. He will be sentenced on July 6.

Pistorius has always said he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder when he fired four shots through a locked toilet door in his Pretoria home, killing her almost instantly.

During his closing arguments, defense lawyer Barry Roux asked the gold medalist, known as the “Blade Runner” for his carbon-fibre prosthetics, to walk on his stumps to show the difficulty he faced dealing with the threat of an intruder.

The lower part of his legs were amputated when he was a baby.

His body shaking with emotion, Pistorius removed his prosthetics and stood on his stumps for about five minutes in front of the court television camera, wiping away tears with a tissue.

“The accused was vulnerable because of his disability,” Roux said. “His failure to conduct a rational thought process does not negate his vulnerability.”

The defense says Pistorius did not deliberately kill model and law graduate Steenkamp and was “a broken man”, calling for a non-custodial sentence that includes community service.

A state prosecutor argued that Pistorius – who did not take the stand himself – had shown no remorse or told the court why he fired the shots, and asked the court jail the athlete for the prescribed minimum sentence of 15-years.

The athlete originally received a five-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction, that was upgraded to murder on appeal. The original trial judge, Thokozile Masipa, was presiding at the hearings at the Pretoria High Court.

FIERCE DEBATE

Roux asked the judge to consider that his client was vulnerable because of his disability and that the prescribed 15-year minimum sentence should give the court “unease”.

“The fact is that a disabled person in jail has a more difficult time,” Roux said.

The case has prompted a fierce debate in a country beset by high levels of violent crime against women and still dealing with the legacy of decades of apartheid race-based rule.

Some rights groups have said Pistorius, a wealthy white man, has received preferential treatment.

Pistorius reached the pinnacle of his fame in London 2012 when he became the first double amputee to run in the Olympics, reaching the 400 meters semi-finals, before taking two golds in the Paralympics.

Roux said the publicity surrounding the case led to it being portrayed as an incident of gender-based violence, despite the facts showing it was not. Pistorius had now “become the face of gender violence”, he said.

Shortly after Roux asked Pistorius to walk without his prosthetics, prosecutor Gerrie Nel requested that the judge allow photos to be shown of Steenkamp’s bloodied head and torso.

Masipa ruled that the photos be made available to the public upon request. She said the photos had been banned to protect the Steenkamp family, who had now agreed to lifting the ban.

The victim’s father Barry Steenkamp said on Tuesday that Pistorius must pay for his crime.

Prosecutor Nel said Pistorius had failed to show remorse.

“There’s a chasm between regret and remorse,” Nel said. “Real remorse would have been the accused taking the court into his confidence, telling the court why I fired that shot, why I did what I did. We don’t have that.”

Johannesburg-based criminal law attorney Zola Majavu said the judge could only deviate from handing out the minimum sentence if Pistorius had demonstrated exceptional circumstances to warrant such a deviation.

He said Pistorius’ decision not to speak in court could prove central: “It was a perfect opportunity to show the court that he does take responsibility for his actions.”

Pistorius has given an interview to British television, which will be aired next week.

South African Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to six years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

Shock and dismay, by Pumza Fihlani, BBC News, Pretoria

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