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- Oscar not guilty of murder but nevertheless charged with culpable homicide.
- Judge Thokozile Masipa delivered the verdict before a rapt courtroom audience.
- The prosecution was demanding a minimum of ten years in jail for Oscar.
Oscar Pistorius is sent to jail for five years for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
At last the verdict is in on Oscar Pistorius. He will have to stay in solitary confinement for a period of five years. The judge, Masipa, awarded Oscar the five year sentence in Pretoria awhile ago. He was led from the court in handcuffs and will be put behind bars soon.
While the prosecutors had been hoping for ten years in the lockup, the defense lawyers wanted community service and residential confinement. The judge said that despite the fact that she had been advised by many of her juniors the final decision was one which she had taken on a solo basis. In other words, it was purely her judgment that got delivered in the end.
The judge furthermore spoke of how handing down a sentence was a very fine-tuned thing. Yet she said that it had nothing to do with perfection or perfectionism. Ultimately, a delicate balance had to be struck between draconian punishments and too much laxity and leniency.
Judge Masipa said that Oscar’s defense witness had not made the case from a position of strength. The evidence was haphazard. Oscar would be handled with care in the penitentiary due to his disability. She furthermore said that she felt uneasy at seeing the state in which Oscar currently was especially in reference to his handicap.
Yet she also said that the justice system needed to address crimes of negligence and could not afford to disregard a mistake by a man that cost his girlfriend’s life. When the trial was over Reeva Steenkamp’s father said that he was satisfied with the fact that finally justice had been done.
Meanwhile, the defense and prosecution both have the right to make an appeal against the verdict in a higher court. Whatever the result /4/have been, it is probable that by displaying good behavior Oscar will have to serve from one third to one sixth of his prison sentence.
Oscar Pistorius only got 5 years. Bart Simpson got a harsher sentencing when Homer banned him from the Itchy & Scratchy film for life.— Ol’ QWERTY Bastard (@TheDiLLon1) October 21, 2014
Oscar Pistorius could be out within 10 months? Seem fair. He only killed someone. Not like he sent a nasty tweet or anything.— Gary Philp (@blueboi1987) October 21, 2014
Oscar Pistorius sentenced to a maximum sentence of 5 years imprisonment for culpable homicide in the shooting death of his girlfriend.— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) October 21, 2014
Arnold Pistorius: we accept the judgment. Oscar will embrace this opportunity to pay back society @eNCAnews #OscarTrial— Karyn Maughan (@karynmaughan) October 21, 2014
Oscar Pistorius is a classic case of the South African white upper class entitled mentality that he can simply shoot, kill a black burglar— Garikai Chengu (@ChenguGold) October 21, 2014
Imagine in a country where Nelson Mandela served 27 years in Prison for no reason Oscar Pistorius got 5 years for killing someone.— Papa Shango (@budbudtingting) October 21, 2014
Position: @OscarPistorius was sentenced under Section 276 1 i) of Criminal Procedures Act – he must serve 1/6th of his sentence in custody.— Carl Pistorius (@carlpistorius) October 21, 2014
LOOOL if it was a woman in Oscar pistorius shoes right now (no pun intended) would u be this angry with the sentence? Smh— Man’s out ere cuz (@iamhamdi1) October 21, 2014
Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to 5 years. Wish this was another joke tweet like my knock knock ones but it’s not.— Caspar Lee (@Caspar_Lee) October 21, 2014
Source: BBC
