“Our courts are courts of law, not of public opinion”, she said.
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Pistorius has always denied deliberately killing his girlfriend in 2013 and claimed that he mistook her for an intruder before shooting her dead with four bullets fired through a closed toilet door.
The Supreme Court of Appeal in December ruled that Pistorius was guilty of murder, irrespective of who was behind the door when he opened fire with a high-calibre pistol he kept under his bed. “That application as we’ve seen before can take a lengthy period of time, but at least three years at this stage”, said criminal defence attorney Ulrich Roux.
But an appeals court upgraded the conviction to murder, which has a mandatory sentence of 15 years.
In reading out the sentence, Judge Masipa said Pistorius was a “fallen hero”. Among the circumstances were the 12 months Pistorius has already served, his status as a first-time offender, as well as the possibility of his rehabilitation.
Pistorius was previously convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to five years and actually served a few months before being released on bail during the appeal process. She said he is remorseful and could likely be rehabilitated.
During the sentencing hearing, Steenkamp’s father said it’s hard for him to forgive Pistorius.
After the verdict was read, Pistorius, 29, who was dressed in a dark suit and white shirt quietly hugged his sister before he was whisked off to Khosi Mampuru prison in Pretoria to start serving his sentence. His lawyer, Andrew Fawcett, says they will not appeal this latest decision.
It wasn’t what Steenkamp’s family or the thousands of people who religiously followed the development of case expected.
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Dubbed “The Blade Runner” because of the prosthetic legs he used to run, Pistorius had become one of the most recognisable athletes in the world for his success on the track. He was instead convicted of manslaughter and served one year in prison.
Shortly after Judge Thokozile Masipa adjourned proceedings, De Bruyn told ANCWL members inside courtroom GD that the law had taken its course.
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The year before he killed Steenkamp, Pistorius became the first double-amputee to race at Olympic level when he appeared at the London 2012 games.
