{Oscar Pistorius would be held in a prison hospital if he\u2019s sentenced to jail for his manslaughter conviction in the killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine\u2019s Day last year, South Africa\u2019s head of prisons said.}<\/p>\n
Double-amputee Pistorius, 27, would probably be sent to the Kgosi Mampuru prison in Pretoria, Zach Modise, the acting national commissioner for correctional services, told the High Court today during the Paralympic gold medalist\u2019s sentencing hearing.<\/p>\n
Modise was the last witness called by prosecutor Gerrie Nel in the hearing. He and defense attorney Barry Roux will present their final arguments today. Judge Thokozile Masipa, 67, will hand down a sentence that may range from as many as 15 years in prison to as little as a fine.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can assure this court that he will go to the hospital section because we know that Mr. Pistorius is a person with a disability,\u201d Modise said. As head of prisons, Modise said he had the power to decide where an inmate can be detained \u201cdepending on the individual needs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two witnesses called by Roux this week said Pistorius should receive a sentence of three years\u2019 house arrest with community service.<\/p>\n
Steenkamp\u2019s cousin, Kim Martin, told the court yesterday that Pistorius must serve time in prison.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy family are not people who are seeking revenge, we just feel that to take someone\u2019s life, to shoot somebody behind a door, that is unarmed, that is harmless, needs sufficient punishment,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Culpable Homicide<\/p>\n
Masipa cleared Pistorius of murder charges before convicting him of culpable homicide for killing Steenkamp when he fired four hollow-point bullets through a toilet door in his house. Pistorius said he thought Steenkamp was an intruder.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel Mr. Pistorius needs to pay for what he has done for taking Reeva\u2019s life, for what he\u2019s done to my uncle and to my aunt, what he\u2019s done to the rest of the family, but also what he\u2019s done to his family,\u201d Martin said. \u201cWe need to give a message to society that you cannot do this and get away with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Known as the Blade Runner because of his J-shaped prosthetic running blades, Pistorius was the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics. His trial drew a worldwide audience and derailed the running career of the winner of six Paralympic gold medals and cost Pistorius sponsorship deals with Nike Inc. (NKE) and Luxottica Group SpA (LUX)\u2019s Oakley.<\/p>\n
After his conviction, Masipa extended his bail of 1 million rand ($90,000). Pistorius will be free to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as long as the judge doesn\u2019t hand down a multiple-year jail term, South Africa\u2019s Olympic Committee said last month.<\/p>\n
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