Pretoria – Former Paralympian Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to six years in jail for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp at his Pretoria home on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
Judge Thokozile Masipa handed down the judgment in the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday.
“ … The sentence I impose on the accused in terms of murder dolus eventualis is six years imprisonment,” said Judge Masipa.
She said a long term of imprisonment will not serve justice and that Pistorius has already served 12 months, is a first time offender and is not likely to reoffend.
Shortly after reading out the sentence, Judge Masipa said she would remain in chambers to hear whether there would be an application for leave to appeal today.
The Bloemfontein Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that Pistorius’s earlier conviction of culpable homicide be scaled up to murder. Justice Eric Leach said the court had found him guilty of murder under the principle of dolus eventualis.
The National Prosecuting Authority had brought an application challenging Pistorius's culpable homicide conviction for shooting and killing Steenkamp in the toilet cubicle of his home.
Pistorius was placed under correctional supervision at home as from 20 October 2015 after serving a fifth of his prison term. – SAnews.gov.za
