Pistorious to be sentenced for murdering girlfriend

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.

Pistorius woukld be taken to Pretoria prison on Tuesday evening.

In her decision, Judge Thokozile Masipa balance the threat the Paralympic gold medallist poses to society against his likelihood of rehabilitation and eventual re-introduction to public life.


Last month Pistorius was acquitted of murder and was found guilty of culpable homicide, a conviction whose penalty -- which ranges from a fine to 15 years behind bars.

Last week Pistorius's lawyers argued that the 27-year-old should be sentenced to three years correctional supervision, which is also known as house arrest. He would then do 16 hours of community service a month, suggested the defence.

In eloquent closing argument, defence lawyer Barry Roux said Pistorius is an ideal candidate for a non-custodial sentence given his remorse, his status as a first-time offender and the fact he would be "vulnerable" in South Africa's notoriously brutal jails as a result of his disability.

Pistorius is a double-amputee athlete who made history by becoming the first Paralympian to compete against able-bodied athletes at the 2012 London Olympics.

Roux said Pistorius is a "broken man" who has "genuine remorse" after shooting Steenkamp four times through a locked toilet door early Valentine's Day morning last year.

As his lawyer chronicled how Pistorius has lost his friends and fortune, the sprinter uncontrollably wept in the dock, wiping tears off his face with a handkerchief.

State prosecutor Gerrie Nel attacked the defence claim that Pistorius is repentant, claiming he offered "blood money" to Steenkamp's parents to reduce his likelihood of going to jail.

In South Africa, where a 24-hour news channel is dedicated to the athlete's court proceedings and the top-selling book in stores is about Pistorius, Nel warned that Judge Masipa's sentencing will be a litmus test of the strength of the country's justice system.

Highlighting Pistorius's gross recklessness, Nel said the only appropriate sentence for the athlete was incarceration.

"The minimum term that society would be happy with would be a 10 year minimum imprisonment sentence," said Nel.

"This is a serious matter. The negligence borders on intent."

Nel said a house arrest sentence would be "shockingly inappropriate" and would cause South Africans to lose faith in their legal system and turn to vigilantism.