Oscar Pistorius sentenced

[Ultimate Paragon]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/10/21/oscar-pistorius-sentenced-to-five-years/

Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee who dazzled the world with his sprinting in the 2012 Olympics, was sentenced to five years in prison by a South African judge on Tuesday morning, bringing to a close a trial that has captivated world audiences in a way unseen since the trial of O.J. Simpson. Under South African law, Pistorius will be eligible to apply for house arrest in 10 months.

Pistorius was convicted Sept. 12 of culpable homicide — the equivalent of manslaughter, under U.S. law — for killing his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day 2013 by shooting her through a bathroom door in his Pretoria home. The court acquitted him of murder. His defense rested on a claim that he thought an intruder, rather than Steenkamp, was in the bathroom.

The sentence, Judge Thokozile Masipa said, struck a “delicate balance” between mercy and the demands of justice, while delivering an “appropriate” message to the community.

“I am of the view that a non-custodial sentence would send the wrong message to the community, but a long sentence would not be appropriate because it would lack the elements of mercy,” said the judge, who stewarded the case under the twin burdens of international scrutiny and criticism of South Africa’s justice system.

The trial of Pistorius, known as “the Blade Runner” for the high-tech prosthetic legs that propelled him into the Olympics, was a battle of competing narratives, drawing on themes of disability, love, success and vulnerability.

To the prosecution, which produced a chilling portrayal of Pistorius, the athlete was a gun fanatic driven by ego and rage who killed Steenkamp in anger after an explosive argument.

The defense countered that assertion by portraying Pistorius as a man trapped by disability, who, in a moment of vulnerability and fear with his prosthetics removed, fatally shot Steenkamp after he mistook her for an intruder in the middle of the night.

One fact, however, was beyond dispute: Pistorius had intended to kill when he shot four bullets through a bathroom door, striking Steenkamp. Afterward, a distraught Pistorius tried to resuscitate her, but it was too late.

Something tells me this isn't over yet.

[ironbite]

Wonder where he'll go for those 10 months.

[Sylvana]

This has been such a media soap opera. I am glad its close to over so it stops being the only thing anyone sees.

Personally, I feel that the conviction is correct, but the sentence is too light. Especially given that no one really believes he thought an intruder was in the house. The most likely situation is that he suffers from both anger issues and an inferiority complex and an inflated ego. This is clear when you consider how much of a fuss he kicked up during the last paraolimpics when he lost the 200m sprints. Then you consider that an amputee would tend to have feelings of insecurity regarding affection from people around them especially when those people are models. Throw in his Ego, and his history of violent behavior and its very possible that a valentines day fight got lethally out of hand.

That said, culpable homicide is still the correct verdict because it is better for justice to err on the side of conservatism. However, The dubious nature of the case, his flip flopping and often contradictory defense, and his possible danger to others with his history of violence, He should have received a 10 year sentence.

Unfortunately at the end of the day there is a different justice for the rich and connected. He isn't connected enough to be able to come down with the "shaiks" (a colloquial term for friends of the president who go to prison and mysteriously fall lethally ill and are released within a month on medical parole.) However, I doubt he will stay there longer than 10 months.

[Tolpuddle Martyr]

Seems like an awfully cheap price tag on another human beings life.