Though South African Paralympic Oscar Pistorius was found guilty of manslaughter for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s eve last year and sentenced to five years imprisonment this morning, he may serve only 10 months in jail.
According to analysts, if he is of good behaviour and did not infringe prison rules, he would be released after 10 months to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
Though criticized as overly lenient, Judge Thokozile Masipa who last month found Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide (manslaughter), said her sentence was a balancing act between retribution and clemency.
“I am of the view that a non-custodial sentence would send a wrong message to the community,” Masipa said after summarizing parts of the case and explaining why she reached her decision. “On the other hand, a long sentence would not be appropriate either as it would lack the element of mercy.”
Pistorius could have been jailed up to 15 years in jail. The sentencing hearing, which began last Monday, saw the prosecution pushing for the maximum custodial sentence.
Pistorius’ defence team however argued for a lesser sentence, such as community service. They claimed that the athlete would be unsafe in prison, which was denied by the prisons chief last Thursday.
Pistorius wept as his lawyer Barry Roux said that the athlete no longer had any money after the trial, which has lasted over seven months. “He is not only broke but he is broken,” he said. “He’s a first offender. What has happened to this man? He was on the rise,” Mr Roux added.
The lawyer urged Judge Masipa to consider the South African principle of “ubuntu”, roughly translated as kindness towards others, in her sentencing.
Last Friday, Prosecutor Gerrie Nel again criticized the offer of money by Pistorius to the Steenkamp family. “I cannot but think this is an attempt to influence” he said. Mr Nel also argued that a community-based sentence which involved Pistorius would be “shockingly disproportionate” to the crime committed.
Reeva Steenkamp’s family rejected a large lump sum offered by Pistorius, calling it “blood money”. However, they did accept smaller monthly support payments.
The Paralympic sprinter denied murdering Ms Steenkamp after a row on Valentine’s Day last year, saying he shot her by mistake, fearing there was an intruder in the house. Ms Steenkamp, a model, reality TV star and law graduate, was hit three times by bullets shot through a toilet door by Pistorius at his home in the capital, Pretoria.