Pistorius jailed for Steenkamp murder
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.
CAPTION: Oscar Pistorius says goodbye to his sister Aimee Pistorius before being taken down to the cells.
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.
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.
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.
Barry Steenkamp, father of the deceased said he was pleased that the trial was over, even though life would never be the same again.
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.
