‘Blade Runner’ Pistorius given 6 years in jail for murdering Reeva Steenkamp

Paralympian Oscar Pistorius has been jailed for six years for murdering his lover Reeva Steenkamp. He could have been sentenced to 15 years after an an appeal court ruled he was guilty of murdering Ms Steenkamp. Judge Thokozile Masipa spent just over an hour summing up her reasons behind the sentence, describing him as a “fallen hero”. But she said she took into account his remorse, the impact the killing had on Ms Steenkamp’s family, the public interest and the impact the crime had had on Pistorius. The 29-year-old has admitted shooting Ms Steenkamp through a bathroom door at his Pretoria home but always claimed it was an accident, mistaking her for a burglar.

The accused has punished himself and will punish himself for the rest of his life far more than any court of law can punish him.

Defence attorney Barry Roux

He says he only realised his mistake when he broke down the door with a cricket bat, by which time it was too late – she had been hit by three bullets, one in her skull. Judge Masipa believed Pistorius’ version of events and sentenced him to five years for culpable homicide (manslaughter) at the original trial. During last month’s sentencing hearing, a defence psychologist said the athlete was a broken man. Earlier in the sentencing hearing, Reeva’s father, Barry, delivered a gut-wrenching plea for Pistorius to be punished for murdering his daughter.

You have to understand that forgiveness doesn’t exonerate you from what you did.

Barry Steenkamp

Pistorius