Prosecutors to seek tough sentence for Pistorius

Paralympian Oscar Pistorius will face sentencing this week over the 2013 killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in Pretoria.

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, in Pretoria

South African prosecutors are expected to press for the toughest sentence against Paralympian Oscar Pistorius at the conclusion of his trial this week.

In December the Supreme Court of Appeal overturned the double amputee runner’s manslaughter conviction and changed it to murder.

In South Africa murder carries a mandatory sentence of 15 years minimum – although there is a caveat built in “unless there are substantial and compelling circumstances”.

The athlete was refused leave to appeal to the Constitutional Court, finally exhausting all legal avenues to avoid jail.

Several reports suggest his girlfriend’s father, Barry Steenkamp, may give evidence in the coming days in an attempt to persuade the judge to levy a long sentence.

Mr Steenkamp did not attend most of the trial due to ill health and if he does testify it is likely to be very emotional and powerful.

It is more than three years since the athlete shot dead his law graduate girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in a toilet cubicle at his home in Pretoria.

The runner has steadfastly insisted the shooting was a mistake. He said he thought an intruder had entered his home in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013 and he feared for their safety.

He fired four shots through a locked toilet door, killing his girlfriend. She was hit in the head, hip and arm.

He has always said that it was only when he battered down the door with a cricket bat that he realised the person behind was Ms Steenkamp.

At the original trial, Judge Thokozile Masipa believed the runner’s testimony and found him guilty of the lesser charge of culpable homicide (manslaughter).

He was sentenced to five years under correctional supervision, of which he served only one in prison.

For the past eight months he has been on bail and under what is commonly known as “house arrest”, living at his uncle Arnold’s home in an upmarket area of Pretoria.

Although the terms of his correctional supervision have remained secret, this typically involves wearing an electronic tag, restricted movements and carrying out community service.

The runner has been photographed arriving at a police station where he cleaned out cells and at his last court appearance in April, he complained about his electronic tag being defective, sending out emergency signals while he was still in his uncle’s house.

The runner, who was once a worldwide icon revered for overcoming his physical limitations, is now said to be broke.

He used to have several homes and earned millions in prize money as well as advertising and endorsements.

It has emerged the runner has given his only interview since his arrest to a former British policeman turned filmmaker and it will be aired on 24 June, after the sentencing is expected to be completed.

His uncle Arnold insisted it was his decision and not the runner’s to do the interview and no one from the family would profit from it.

“Not knowing what the future holds for Oscar this week, I decided it was necessary to take up one media offer that would provide our family with a voice to address some of the misconceptions that have remained unchallenged,” Arnold Pistorius said in a statement.

He said the family’s silence and decision not to give interviews throughout the trial had “created fertile ground for inaccuracies and unfounded speculation to flourish in the media and public domain”. SkyNews.com