{Oscar Pistorius would be held in a prison hospital if he’s sentenced to jail for his manslaughter conviction in the killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year, South Africa’s head of prisons said.}
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’s sentencing hearing.
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.
“I can assure this court that he will go to the hospital section because we know that Mr. Pistorius is a person with a disability,” Modise said. As head of prisons, Modise said he had the power to decide where an inmate can be detained “depending on the individual needs.”
Two witnesses called by Roux this week said Pistorius should receive a sentence of three years’ house arrest with community service.
Steenkamp’s cousin, Kim Martin, told the court yesterday that Pistorius must serve time in prison.
“My family are not people who are seeking revenge, we just feel that to take someone’s life, to shoot somebody behind a door, that is unarmed, that is harmless, needs sufficient punishment,” she said.
Culpable Homicide
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.
“I feel Mr. Pistorius needs to pay for what he has done for taking Reeva’s life, for what he’s done to my uncle and to my aunt, what he’s done to the rest of the family, but also what he’s done to his family,” Martin said. “We need to give a message to society that you cannot do this and get away with it.”
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)’s Oakley.
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’t hand down a multiple-year jail term, South Africa’s Olympic Committee said last month.
{{Bloomberg}}
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