South Africa’s most popular sportsman and double-amputee Olympian, Oscar Pistorius, described by a judge as a “fallen hero,” was sentenced on Wednesday to six years in a South African prison for the murder of former girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Judge Thokozile Masipa, while anticipating criticism of the jail term which fell far short of the standard 15 years for murder under South African law, declared: “Our courts are courts of law, not courts of public opinion.”
Pistorius, who murdered Reeva Steenkamp by shooting her through the door of a toilet cubicle in his home in 2013, was asked to stand and face Masipa as she announced his sentence in a wood-paneled courtroom in the South African capital, Pretoria.
He remained calm after the ruling, embracing his aunt and tearful sister before being led down a courtroom staircase to a holding cell ahead of being taken to prison.
The sentencing is now expected to be the climax of a three-and-a-half year legal drama that has often played out on live television and revealed the dark side of a runner once viewed as an inspiration to many for overcoming his disability. Both of Pistorius’ legs were amputated below the knees when he was 11 months old because of a congenital defect.
He made history by running at the 2012 Olympics on his carbon-fiber running blades, and was one of the world’s most recognizable athletes.
“He’s a fallen hero, he has lost his career and he is ruined financially,” said Masipa, who originally convicted Pistorius of manslaughter, a ruling that was overturned by an appeals court that instead convicted him of murder and sent the case back to her for sentencing.
In explaining the sentence, Masipa said there are “substantial and compelling circumstances” to show leniency toward Pistorius because he is a “good candidate for rehabilitation,” is unlikely to commit another crime and had shown what appeared to be genuine remorse over Steenkamp’s death.
Pistorius, 29, maintained he killed Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model and reality TV star, by mistake thinking she was an intruder hiding in the bathroom early on Valentine’s Day 2013.
Prosecutors alleged that he killed her intentionally after the couple argued.
According to legal experts, Pistorius will be eligible to for parole after just three years,
Prosecutors can still appeal the sentence for a heavier one but have yet to comment on whether they will do so.
The Steenkamp family did not criticize the sentence.
“The family accepts the judgment,”
“The family has said it before they wanted the law to run its course. It has done so. No further comment. They will keep a dignified silence,” said Dup de Bruyn, Steenkamp family representative.
