Pistorius sentence: Prosecution unsure about appeal against culpable homicide verdict

The trial of Olympic and Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius, which gripped South Africa and millions around the world, has come to a final end with a five-year jail sentence handed to Pistorius for killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

The sentence was imposed for the charge of culpable homicide, which in South Africa means a person was killed unintentionally, but unlawfully.

While the prosecution had asked for a minimum prison sentence of 10 years for Pistorius, the defense team had called for a sentence of house arrest and community service. South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority has said it had not yet decided whether to appeal Judge Thokozile Masipa’s verdict that Pistorius is not guilty of murder.

Under South African law, he will have to serve at least one-sixth of his sentence (10 months) before he can ask to be placed under correctional supervision, usually house arrest, instead.

In delivering her verdict, 67-year-old Masipa stressed the difficulty of arriving at a decision that was fair and just to society and to the accused.

“It would be a sad day for this country if an impression were created that there is one law for the poor and disadvantaged, and one law for the rich and famous,” she said.

She further discouraged suggestions that Pistorius – a wealthy and influential white man – might be able to secure preferential justice despite the “equality before law” guarantee enshrined in the post-apartheid 1996 Constitution.

Pistorius was also given a three-year sentence on a firearms charge, but it was suspended for five years on condition he’s not found guilty of another crime where there’s negligence involving a firearm during that period. That Count related to an occasion when Pistorius discharged a handgun under a table in a busy restaurant. No one was hurt. Before his sentencing, Pistorius had told reporters that he would respect and accept the decision of the court and that he was not afraid of imprisonment.