Oscar Pistorius’ jail sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Stenkamp has been increased to 13 years and five months, a South African court has ruled on November 24.
According to prosecutors, the six-year term for murdering Reeva Steenkamp was “shockingly light”.
A spokesman for Reeva Steenkamp’s family said the ruling “verified there was justice”.
The Olympic athlete claimed he shot dead his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day in 2013 after mistaking her for a burglar.
The Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein has now given Oscar Pistorius the minimum 15 years prescribed for murder in South Africa, less time already served.
Oscar Pistorius has been granted bail while he awaits sentence for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in February 2013.
Judges changed the South African Olympic athlete’s conviction from manslaughter to murder last week. The double-amputee has already served one year in prison.
Oscar Pistorius, 29, now faces a minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment – to be set after a hearing on April 18, 2016.
The Paralympic champion will also appeal against his murder conviction in the Constitutional Court, his lawyer has said.
Bail has been set at 10,000 rand ($700). Oscar Pistorius was deemed not to be a flight risk by Judge Audrey Ledwaba.
Photo Reuters
He can remain under house arrest at his uncle’s home until sentencing next year, and will be electronically tagged. He also has to hand over his passport.
Oscar Pistorius will be able to leave the house between 7AM and midday, but will only be able to move within a 12 miles radius.
He is currently under house arrest after spending one year of his original five-year sentence in jail.
In his bail affidavit, Oscar Pistorius said he had no income. During the hearing, his lawyer said he was only able to pay a sum of 10,000 rand for his bail.
Oscar Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day after shooting four times through a locked toilet door.
Last week, South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein accepted prosecution arguments and ruled that the lower court did not correctly apply the concept of “dolus eventualis” – whether Oscar Pistorius knew that a death would be a likely result of his actions.
Oscar Pistorius has begun jail sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The South African Paralympic champion was driven to Pretoria’s Kgosi Mampuru prison where he is expected to be housed in the hospital wing.
Judge Thokozile Masipa gave Oscar Pistorius a five-year jail sentence for culpable homicide, but cleared him of murder.
Oscar Pistorius’ defense said it expected him to serve about 10 months, with the remainder under house arrest. His family say he will not appeal.
Reeva Steenkamp’s parents said they were happy with the sentence and relieved the case was over.
Prosecutors had called for a minimum 10-year term, and the defense had argued for community service and house arrest.
Oscar Pistorius, 27, an amputee sprinter who became the first athlete to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, killed Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
Oscar Pistorius has begun jail sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
He says he shot Reeva Steenkamp by mistake, fearing there was an intruder in his house in Pretoria.
Reeva Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, reality TV star and law graduate, was hit three times by bullets fired by Oscar Pistorius through a toilet door.
Oscar Pistorius showed little reaction to the sentence other than to wipe his eyes before being led away to a holding cell downstairs.
He was then driven away from court in an armored police van to Pretoria’s Kgosi Mampuru prison, where he was expected to undergo a medical assessment.
It is likely that he will be held in a one-man cell in the hospital wing, thought to be most appropriate for the athlete’s disability.
Correctional services spokesman Manelisi Wolela told AFP news agency Oscar Pistorius was “already accommodated at Kgosi Mampuru”.
He could be released after serving a sixth of his sentence, or 10 months, for good behavior.
However, Dup De Bruyn, a lawyer for the Steenkamp family, told Reuters that he believed Oscar Pistorius would probably serve two years.
Oscar Pistorius’s uncle, Arnold, said the family would not appeal against the sentence.
“We accept the judgment. Oscar will embrace the opportunity to pay back to society,” he said.
He appealed to the media to “accept the ruling of court and let us move forward in this process and give us some degree of dignity and privacy”.
Judge Thokozile Masipa said she considered her sentence “fair and just, both to society and to the accused”.
She said: “A non-custodial sentence would send the wrong message to the community. On the other hand, a long sentence would also not be appropriate either, as it would lack the element of mercy.”
The judge said Oscar Pistorius had made an “enormous contribution to society”, in his charity work and in changing the public perception of disability.
But she added: “It would be a sad day for this country if an impression were to be created that there was one law for the poor and disadvantaged, and another for the rich and famous.”
Judge Thokozile Masipa also gave Oscar Pistorius a three-year suspended sentence for a separate incident – firing a gun in a restaurant.
The prosecution service said it would consider an appeal but expressed satisfaction that Oscar Pistorius had been given jail time.
However, the Women’s League of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress said it did plan to appeal.
“We’re doing this not only for Reeva but for the millions of South African women who are killed at the hands of their partners, people who are supposed to protect them,” said spokeswoman Khsuela Sangoni.
“A five-year sentence like this sends a message to society that it is fine to commit such heinous crimes as femicide, and you will be able to get away with a slap on the wrist.”
Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to five years in jail for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Judge Thokozile Masipa, issuing the ruling in court in Pretoria, also gave Oscar Pistorius a three-year suspended sentence for a firearms charge.
The prosecution had called for a minimum 10-year sentence; the defense for community service and house arrest.
Oscar Pistorius, 27, was convicted of culpable homicide but cleared of murder.
Judge Thokozile Masipa said: “Sentencing is about achieving the right balance. Sentencing is not a perfect exercise.”
She said there must be a balance between retribution, deterrence and rehabilitation.
The judge began summarizing the evidence brought before the trial.
Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to five years in jail for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp (photo AP)
She described the evidence of defense witness and social worker Annette Vergeer as “slapdash and disappointing”.
Annette Vergeer had argued Oscar Pistorius would be “a lot more vulnerable than the normal man” in jail.
Judge Thokozile Masipa said she was sure prisons were equipped to cater for the requirements of a special needs inmate.
She also said she had a “feeling of unease” at what she called an overemphasis on the athlete’s vulnerability.
However, she said Oscar Pistorius had made an “enormous contribution to society”, in his charity work and in changing the public perception of disability.
The judge then read out a quote from previous legal opinion, saying that if sentences were too lenient, the administration of justice may fall into disrepute.
She said she found the suggestions of sentences made by defense witnesses “not appropriate”.
Oscar Pistorius, an amputee sprinter who became the first athlete to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, killed Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year.
Oscar Pistorius has returned to Pretoria court for sentencing after being convicted of killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
Oscar Pistorius, 27, was found guilty of the culpable homicide of Reeva Steenkamp last month but he was cleared of murder.
His psychologist was the first defense witness to speak at the sentencing hearing, which could last several days.
Oscar Pistorius faces up to 15 years in jail, although Judge Thokozile Masipa may suspend the sentence or impose a fine.
Thokozile Masipa said the South African athlete had acted “negligently” when he shot Reeva Steenkamp through a toilet door, but in the “belief that there was an intruder”.
Oscar Pistorius had strenuously denied murdering Reeva Steenkamp after a row on Valentine’s Day 2013, saying he shot her by mistake.
Reeva Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model and law graduate, was hit three times by bullets shot through a toilet door by Oscar Pistorius at his home in the capital, Pretoria.
Oscar Pistorius has returned to Pretoria court for sentencing after being convicted of killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp
Oscar Pistorius’ personal psychologist Lore Hartzenberg told the courtroom on Monday, October 13, that the Paralympic champion was “very emotional” during grief therapy sessions, which were often disrupted by his weeping and crying.
Lore Hartzenberg said the athlete felt “vilified and humiliated” by the media and social media networks, making him feel “utterly worthless”.
Judge hokozile Masipa is to hear legal arguments and testimony from a number of witnesses before passing sentence.
The judge said the state had failed to prove he intended to kill.
Oscar Pistorius, who has been on bail since the verdict, was also found guilty on a charge of negligently handling a firearm that went off in a restaurant.
He was acquitted of another charge of firing a gun in public, through the sunroof of a car, and of illegal possession of ammunition in the home where he killed Reeva Steenkamp.
The parents of Reeva Steenkamp said “justice was not served” after Oscar Pistorius was acquitted of murder.
June and Barry Steenkamp told NBC News of their “disbelief” that the court had believed Oscar Pistorius’ version of events.
Earlier, Arnold Pistorius, the athlete’s uncle, said the family was “deeply grateful” to the judge for finding him not guilty of murder and that a “big burden” had been lifted.
South Africa’s prosecuting authority said it was “disappointed” that Oscar Pistorius was not convicted of murder but said it would wait until after sentencing to decide whether to appeal.
Despite the conviction, the International Paralympic Committee has said Oscar Pistorius would be allowed to compete in future events.
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