South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to
five years in prison for the death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Judge Thokozile Masipa handed down her sentence shortly
after 10:30 on Tuesday morning.
"Count 1, culpable homicide, sentence imposed is
maximum of five years."
"I have taken into account the seriousness of the
offence, which led to the death of the deceased, the personal circumstances of
the accused, and the interests of society.
A weeping Oscar |
"I am of the view that a non-custodial sentence would
send the wrong message. A long sentence would also not be appropriate either as
it would lack the element of mercy."
"If sentences are too lenient, the administration of
justice will fall into disrepute and people will take law into their own
hands," she also said.
"A suspended sentence would not be appropriate in my
view," Masipa said.
"The loss of life can't be reversed. Hopefully judgment
on sentence will provide some sort of closure for all concerned."
During the trial Steenkamp's parents June and Barry were
present on some days, along with family and friends. Barry Steenkamp broke down
in court as his niece Kim Martin told the court last week she was Reeva's
voice.
Martin was the only Steenkamp family member to take the
stand. She said Barry Steenkamp had said he would "lose it" if he had
to testify.
Pistorius's sister Aimee and brother Carl gave interviews to
television broadcasters CNN and eNCA on Monday, talking about how “very taxing”
the last few months have been.
“It’s been a taxing 20 months for us… The landscape of our lives remains forever changed,” Carl said during the interview.
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