South African athlete Oscar Pistorius
has been given five years in jail for
killing his girlfriend Reeva
Steenkamp.
Judge Thokozile Masipa also gave
Pistorius a three-year suspended
sentence for a firearms charge.
Pistorius, who had vomited and wept
at times during the trial, stood stock-
still in the dock as he was sentenced,
veins bulging in his forehead and his
jaw muscles clenched.
"Count one, culpable homicide: the
sentence imposed is five years," judge
Thokozile Masipa said.
Pistorius, 27, was also given a three-
year suspended sentence on a
separate gun offence conviction.
Masipa said she wanted to find a
balance between retribution, deterrence and
rehabilitation, dismissing defence
claims that the disabled athlete would
face particular suffering in prison.
"It would be a sad day for this country
if an impression were to be created
that there was one law for the poor
and disadvantaged and another for
the rich and famous," said Masipa.
She also weighed his ability to cope
with incarceration given his physical
disability.
"Yes the accused is vulnerable, but he
also has excellent coping skills," she
said.
Discussing the gravity of Pistorius's
crime, the judge said he had been
responsible of "gross negligence".
"Using a lethal weapon, a loaded
firearm, the accused fired not one, but
four shots into the door," said Masipa.
"The toilet was a small cubicle and
there was no room for escape for the
person behind the door," she said.
The double amputee sprinter was
acquitted of the more serious charge
of murder over Reeva Steenkamp's
death on Valentine's Day last year.
The prosecution has called for 10
years in jail. The defence pleaded for
house arrest and community service.
Pistorius testified that he shot
Steenkamp, a 29-year-old law
graduate and model, four times
through a locked bathroom door at
his upmarket Pretoria home after he
mistakenly believed she was an intruder.
His lawyers, arguing that Pistorius
would be more vulnerable than most
in prison because of his disability, had
argued against jail time, and called
instead for the equivalent of house
arrest and community service.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said such a
sentence would be "shockingly
inappropriate" and could cause South
Africans to lose faith in their legal
system.
– 'More equal than others' –
The trial has drawn international
attention and media gathered outside
the courthouse shortly after dawn to
get into position for the star runner's
entrance and the arrival of friends and
families on both sides of the case who have attended the long trial.
A man dressed in prison orange
draped himself in chains, holding a
sign saying: "Are certain offenders
more equal than other offenders
before the law?"
Before the sentence was pronounced,
legal experts had been divided on
which way judge Masipa would swing.
"There is a strong argument to be
made for certainly a period of direct
imprisonment," said William Booth, a
criminal lawyer based in Cape Town.
"You do have to send a message to
the public."
The athlete made history by becoming
the first Paralympian to compete
against able-bodied athletes at the
2012 London Olympics, inspiring
millions with his story.
But during his trial the prosecution
painted a darker picture of the one-
time sports star, presenting a
dangerously volatile young man with
a penchant for guns, beautiful women
and fast cars.
With the conviction and sentence,
Pistorius has lost his glittering sports
career, lucrative contracts and —
above all — his hero status, tarnished
forever.
-vanguard News
No comments:
Post a Comment