South African judge has sentenced Olympic sprinter, Oscar Pistorius to six years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013. Pistorius, 29, shot Reeva Steenkamp four times through a locked toilet door in February 2013. He admitted shooting her, but said he had mistaken Ms Steenkamp for an intruder and acted out of fear. Pistorious had already served one year in prison after an initial five-year conviction for manslaughter which was later on changed to murder last December on appeal.
South Africans have taken to social media to express their unhappiness, with some describing the prison term as an insult. Some are even saying that Pistorius is a Rich white man and that’s why he got away with just six years but if he was a Black man or normal everyday person, he would have have had life in jail or even the death penalty.
But the Judge, Thokozile Masipa said there were “substantial and compelling circumstances” that meant he should not serve the 15-year minimum sentence for murder. she also added that the continuing misperception that Pistorius had intentionally killed Steenkamp was something the court had a duty to correct “to prevent unjustified outrage from the public”
Pistorius sat and listened to the hour-long session mostly with his head down, while Ms Steenkamp’s parents, Barry and June, sat quietly on the other side of the packed courtroom. He hugged his sister after the verdict, and was taken to Pretoria’s Khosi Mampuru prison. What do you think about the verdict ? Was it Just or Unfair ? Drop your comments below
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