Oscar Pistorius Guilty Of Murder Sentence To Six Years In Prison

Oscar Pistorius arrived for court today looking anxious but healthier than during the hearings last month. He hugged members of his legal team and his family. The relatives of the former athlete and those of his victim filled a bench along the front of the courtroom.

In an hour-long judgment, Judge Masipa said evidence she had heard convinced her Pistorius was “not a violent person”, was unlikely to reoffend and had showed remorse. The judge said she had to balance the interests of society, the accused and relatives of the victim.

The South African judge sentenced Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius to six years in prison for his girlfriend's murder -- closing yet another chapter in a case that has transfixed the nation.

Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp at his home in an upscale Pretoria neighborhood in the early hours of Valentine's Day three years ago.

The same judge originally convicted him of manslaughter after months of hearings, but a higher court changed that to murder in December.

Pistorius, she said, was “a fallen hero, who has lost his career, and been ruined financially. He cannot be at peace.”

She also stressed that a court should not be swayed by public opinion but that punishment must also reflect the seriousness of the offence. It should be “unpleasant, uncomfortable and painful”.

A convoy of police vehicles is now leaving the court house with sirens blaring – including a van presumably carrying Oscar Pistorius to prison, though he was not visible.

The instructing attorney for the defence, Andrew Fawcett, has told reporters that the Pistorius team does not intend to appeal the sentence and that they respect Masipa’s decision.

Pistorius will serve the sentence handed down by the court, he says, adding that he will have to serve “between half and two-thirds of the sentence” before he can apply for parole.

But he adds that the defence team will of course “react” if the state decides to appeal the sentence.