Courtesy Photo
By Agencies
In Summary
Judge Thokozile Masipa, issuing the ruling also
handed down a three-year suspended sentence for a firearms charge on
Pistorius before he was taken to the cells as court adjourned in
Pretoria
Oscar Pistorius has been handed a five year jail sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Judge Thokozile Masipa, issuing the ruling also
handed down a three-year suspended sentence for a firearms charge on
Pistorius before he was taken to the cells as court adjourned in
Pretoria.
Judge Thokozile Masipa heard prosecution calls for
the Paralympian to be jailed for 10 years, while defence lawyers have
pleaded for house arrest and community service.
The judge last month acquitted the double amputee
sprinter of the more serious charge of murder but found him guilty of
culpable homicide, for which the punishment can range from a fine to up
to 15 years in jail.
Judge Masipa began reading the sentence by saying
that, although she had been aided by assessors, the decision was hers
and hers alone.
She said: "Sentencing is about achieving the right balance. Sentencing is not a perfect exercise."
She also said she had a "feeling of unease" at what she called an overemphasis on the athlete's vulnerability.
However, she said Pistorius had made an "enormous
contribution to society", in his charity work and in changing the public
perception of disability.
However, both the prosecution and the defence have the right to appeal against the verdict should they feel dissatisfied.
Meanwhile, the family of Reeva Steenkamp has welcomed Oscar Pistorius' sentence according their lawyer.
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