Pistorius could be released in 3 years

But Judge Masipa said she had carefully considered the circumstances around Reeva Steenkamp’s death and her sentence needed to be fair to both Pistorius and the family of the deceased.

Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen has labelled the South African court’s decision of handing Oscar Pistorius a six-year jail term for killing his girlfriend as “pathetic” and “shambles”. Pistorius was calm after the ruling, embracing his aunt and sister before being led to a holding cell ahead of being taken to prison. He is a fallen hero, who has lost his career, and been ruined financially.

Oscar Pistorius had originally been convicted of manslaughter before an appeals court upgraded it to murder in 2014.

The 29-year-old’s lawyer, Barry Roux, was seen punching the air as the announcement was made – and the defence has confirmed they will not be appealing the sentence. “I am of the view that a long term in prison will not serve justice”.

“It’s a serious crime, the murder of a woman, especially in a nation like South Africa where there are high rates of violent crime against women”.

The South African athlete appeared in court today for sentencing after serving a year of his initial five-year sentence for manslaughter, which was changed to murder after an appeal in December 2015.

A spokeswoman for Pistorius’ family revealed that he will not appeal the six-year prison prison he was given.

The State had called on Judge Thokozile Masipa to hand down a minimum sentence of 15 years, while lawyers for the athlete argued for a non-custodial sentence.

“Public opinion may be loud and persistent, but it can play no role in the decision of this court …”

Oscar has been sentenced to six years imprisonment on a murder charge.

Prosecutors have not said whether they will appeal for a longer sentence, but a spokesperson for the Pistorius family said the family accepted the sentence. He also revealed the awful impact the tragedy has had on his personal life.

She pointed to the 12 months he already had served, his status as a first-time offender and good prospects for rehabilitation before asking Pistorius to stand.