Pistorius jailed for 6 years for murder of girlfriend

PRETORIA -- South African Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius was sent to prison for six years on Wednesday for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, the latest twist in a trial that has gripped the world.

The state and large sections of the South African public had called for him to receive no less than the prescribed minimum 15-year sentence for murder, saying Pistorius had shown no remorse for the killing.

Judge Thokozile Masipa disagreed, accepting the defense's arguments for a lesser punishment.

"Public opinion may be loud and persistent but it can play no role in the decision of this court," Masipa said. "I am of the view that a long term in prison will not serve justice."

It was not clear whether the state would appeal the verdict.

Dressed in a dark suit, the 29-year-old stared straight ahead as Masipa read out the sentence.

Pistorius was found guilty of murdering Steenkamp by an appeals court last December. He had initially received a five-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction in 2014 handed down by Masipa, a ruling derided by women's groups as too lenient.

In her ruling on Wednesday, Masipa said that although the Steenkamp family had suffered great loss, Pistorius' life and career was also in ruins.

"The life of the accused shall also never be the same. He is a fallen hero and can never be at peace," she said.

The athlete had the lower part of his legs amputated when he was a baby and his lawyers argued that his disability and mental stress should be considered as mitigating circumstances to reduce his sentence.

Pistorius was freed from prison last October after almost a year behind bars to serve out the remainder of his five-year term under house arrest at his uncle's house in a wealthy suburb of the capital.

Some rights groups have said Pistorius, a wealthy white man and international celebrity, has received preferential treatment compared to others without his status or wealth.

He argued that he fired four shots into the door of a toilet cubicle at his luxury Pretoria home in the mistaken belief that an intruder was hiding behind it.

Members of the Women's League of the ruling African National Congress (ANCWL), who have attended the trial in support of the murdered Steenkamp, said the sentence handed down by Masipa was not sufficient.

"First five years, now six years? She is an embarrassment to the justice system," ANCWL spokeswoman Jacqueline Mofokeng said of Masipa. "It is an insult to women in this country."

Outside the court, a group of people held up placards backing the athlete. One read: "Give Oscar his freedom back please."

Steenkamp's father Barry, who said during sentencing hearings that Pistorius must pay for his crime, declined to comment on the prospects for an appeal.

"We'll leave that to the state," he told reporters.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Judge sentences Pistorius to five years in prison

PRETORIA - South African judge Thokozile Masipa on Tuesday sentenced Oscar Pistorius to five years in prison for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day 2013.

"Count one, culpable homicide, the sentence imposed is five years," Masipa said. Pistorius was also given a three-year suspended sentence on a separate gun charge.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide

PRETORIA - Celebrity athlete Oscar Pistorius was found guilty on Friday of culpable homicide in shooting dead his glamorous girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, a conviction that could result in a lengthy jail term.

A day after acquitting Pistorius of a more serious charge of murder, South African Judge Thokozile Masipa said that Pistorius had acted "negligently" when firing four hollow point rounds into a locked toilet door in the early hours of Valentine's Day 2013.

On the charge of murder, Masipa said: "the accused is found not guilty and is discharged, instead he is found guilty of culpable homicide."

"A reasonable person," Masipa continued, "would have foreseen that possibility that whoever was behind the door might be killed by the shots and would have taken steps to avoid the consequences and the accused in this matter failed to take those consequences."

The "Blade Runner" stared straight ahead as the conviction was read, showing little emotion.

From the gallery there was a sound of sniffles and shallow breaths of 29-year-old Steenkamp's friends crying, including Desi Myers whose lip trembled in anguish.

Steenkamp's father Barry ran his hand over his head while her mother June pursed her lips and shook her head.

The judge is expected to sentence Pistorius a few weeks from now and with no mandatory sentence for culpable homicide, Masipa will have a great deal of discretion over the punishment.

- Shock and relief -

Legal experts had earlier voiced surprise that Pistorius was found not guilty of murder, and predicted the case would likely not rest with the verdict.

Wits University criminal law professor James Grant said the state could appeal if they believe there has been an legal error.

"Everyone is a little surprised," said lawyer Audrey Berndt, zeroing in Masipa's finding that Pistorius could not have known that firing four hollow point bullets through the bathroom door would have killed someone.

"She should have explained her reasoning a little more" said Berndt.

Masipa -- whose career has taken her from a childhood in a poor Johannesburg township to the country's high court -- had described Pistorius as a "very poor witness" who was "evasive" when questioned.

Pistorius was also convicted of one of three gun charges.

Masipa said Pistorius was guilty of negligently handling a gun in restaurant, but acquitted him on two other firearm charges.

Pistorius was found guilty of asking to see a gun in Tasha's restaurant and while handling it under the table the firearm went off.

"He may not have intentionally pulled the trigger... that does not absolve him of the crime of negligently handling a firearm," said Masipa.

Pistorius, who had remained emotionless the whole morning, started clenching his jaw during the ruling.

Masipa had however cleared Pistorius on charges of illegally possessing ammunition, which the sprinter said belonged to his father.

She also said there was not enough evidence to suggest he was guilty of another count of shooting a gun through a car sunroof.

The trial, which has gripped South Africans and much of the world for half a year, has cast a harsh spotlight on the fallen hero's private life.

Full of high drama, the trial has fed intense media interest worldwide, with live broadcasts veering into the realm of TV reality.

During proceedings Pistorius has broken down, weeping and at times vomiting as he heard how his law graduate and model girlfriend's head "exploded" like a watermelon under the impact of his hollow-point bullets.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.om