Oscar Pistorius jailed for five years

South African Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to a maximum of five years in jail for the culpable homicide of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The double amputee shot and killed Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year, saying he mistook her for an intruder before he fired four shots through a locked bathroom door.

A Pretoria court last month found Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide, a charge equivalent to manslaughter, after a lengthy and widely publicised trial.

Pistorius will serve a maximum five years behind bars. He will also serve three years, wholly suspended, on a separate conviction related to negligent use of a firearm.

In court on Tuesday, Judge Thokozile Masipa said although she was sitting with two assessors, the decision was “hers and hers alone”.

She acknowledged Pistorius’s vulnerabilities, namely the fact he is a double amputee, but said he has excellent coping skills and that there was no reason to believe his situation would present an insurmountable challenge to the department of corrections.

There was no doubt, she said, that Pistorius had made an enormous contribution to society, but said it would be a sad day if there was one treatment for the poor and disadvantaged of South Africa – a country with a high crime rate – and one for the rich.

She said there was nothing she could say to bring back Steenkamp, but hoped the judgement provided some “closure” to her family.

Judge Masipa also said a court should be “merciful” and should strive to keep a person out of jail.

Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of at least 10 years for the 27-year-old, arguing the punishment must be in line with society’s expectations.

But the athlete’s legal team said he had already been punished enough and any sentence should be limited to house arrest and community service.

The maximum sentence he faced was 15 years in jail.