Olympian Pistorius sent to jail for 6 years
PRETORIA: Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee Olympian described by a judge as a “fallen hero,” was sentenced on Wednesday to six years in a South African prison for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, in a ruling viewed by some as too lenient.
However, Judge Thokozile Masipa appeared to anticipate criticism of a jail term that fell far short of the mandated 15 years for murder under South African law, declaring: “Our courts are courts of law, not courts of public opinion.”
Pistorius shot Steenkamp through the door of a toilet cubicle in his home in 2013. He was asked to stand and face Masipa as she announced his sentence. Pistorius was calm after the ruling, embracing his aunt and tearful sister before being led down to a holding cell ahead of being taken to prison. The sentencing was the latest act of a three-and-a-half year legal drama that has often played out on live TV and shown the fall from grace of a runner once viewed as an inspiration for overcoming his disability. Both of Pistorius’ legs were amputated below the knees when he was 11 months old because of a congenital defect.
He made history by running at the 2012 Olympics on his carbon-fiber running blades, and was one of the world’s most recognizable athletes.
“He’s a fallen hero, he has lost his career and he is ruined financially,” said Masipa, who originally convicted Pistorius of manslaughter, a ruling that was overturned by an appeals court that instead convicted him of murder and sent the case back to her for sentencing.
In explaining the sentence, Masipa said there are “substantial and compelling circumstances” to show leniency toward Pistorius because he is a “good candidate for rehabilitation,” is unlikely to commit another crime and had shown what appeared to be genuine remorse over Steenkamp’s death.
Pistorius, 29, maintained he killed Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model and reality TV star, by mistake thinking she was an intruder hiding in the bathroom early on Valentine’s Day 2013. Prosecutors alleged that he killed her intentionally after the couple argued.
Pistorius will be eligible to apply for parole after three years, according to legal experts. Prosecutors, who had asked that he be sentenced to 15 years in prison, can appeal for a heavier sentence but have yet to comment on whether they will do so.
“The family accepts the judgment,” Anneliese Burgess, a spokeswoman for the Pistorius family, said outside the courthouse. Legal expert Marius du Toit described the sentence as “lenient but not wrong.” Some people who gathered outside the courthouse were critical.
“The law didn’t take its course,” said Dukes Masanabo, a South African sports official who had hoped Pistorius would be sentenced to 10 to 12 years, not six.