The famous sprinter was convicted to six years in prison, significantly less than a 15-year prescribed minimum sentence for murder, the court said on Wednesday.
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Among those factors was the fact that Pistorius attempted to save his girlfriends’ life after discovering his mistake and his attempt to apologize to the victim’s parents.
Pistorius was charged with shooting and killing his girlfriend through a bathroom door on February 14, 2013 to the astonishment and fury of millions of his fans and onlookers throughout the globe. The prosecution said Pistorius had a violent streak, and that he murdered his lover after a late-night argument.
Pistorius was asked to stand and face Masipa as she announced his sentence in a wood-paneled courtroom in the South African capital, Pretoria.
The manslaughter verdict was overturned on appeal from the prosecution.
She said her job was not to satisfy public opinion and the widespread misconception that Pistorius killed Steenkamp after the couple argued.
South Africa has a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison for murder unless an offender can show reasons why it should be reduced.
After a almost 50-day trial stretched over seven months, Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide (much like manslaughter) in September 2014. He will have to spend at least half of this term in prison – unlike his previous five-year sentence for culpable homicide, when he was released into house arrest at his uncle’s mansion after spending roughly a year in a private cell in the hospital wing of a maximum-security prison. She also added that over Pistorius had shown genuine remorse and has tried to repeatedly apologize to the family members of Steenkamp. “The accused has punished himself and will punish himself for the rest of his life far more than any court of law can punish him”.
“We respect the decision of Masipa and we will not be lodging any application for leave to appeal going forward and Oscar will serve his sentence as handed down by Masipa”, said Andrew Fawcett, a member of Pistorius’ legal team. Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel labelled the demonstration a desperate attempt to gain sympathy.
Nel said it was Steenkamp’s father who was the “broken man”, not Pistorius.
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It is believed that the decision not to appeal against the conviction may have been driven by Pistorious’s financial health, which is reportedly in dire straits due to the long drawn legal battle. Barry Steenkamp, who wept and whose hands shook during his testimony, said Pistorius should pay for what he did.
