Oscar Pistorius gets five years for Reeva Steenkamp death
South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has
been given five years in jail for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Judge Thokozile Masipa also gave Pistorius a
three-year suspended sentence for a firearms charge.
The parents of Reeva Steenkamp told the BBC they were happy with the
sentence and relieved the case was over. The defence said it expected Pistorius
to serve about 10 months in prison.
Pistorius
was convicted of culpable homicide but
cleared of murder.
Prosecutors had called for a minimum 10-year
term, and the defence had argued for community service and house arrest.
'Feeling of unease'
Defence lawyer Barry Roux said his client was
expected to serve 10 months in prison, with the rest under house arrest.
Also reacting to the sentence, Dup De Bruyn,
a lawyer for the Steenkamp family, told Reuters that "justice was
served".
The BBC's Nomsa Maseko, outside court, says
opinion there was divided on the sentence, with some saying it was too light,
others that it was fair.
She says Pistorius will be evaluated over the
next few hours in prison to decide where he will be staying based on his
disability.
Judge Masipa
said she considered her sentence "fair and just, both to society and to
the accused".
source: BBC.com
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