...to feel terrible for Reeva Steenkamp's parents as once again her murderer Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to far less than the mandatory minimum?

[Proginoskes]

I've just watched the sentencing live. He was sentenced by the same judge who erred in the first case and caused it to be sent back for review. Supposedly the mandatory minimum for murder, the crime for which he was convicted, is fifteen years, however Judge Thokozile Masipa gave him...six. Six years for pumping four high-powered rounds through a bathroom door at a person whose identity he claimed not to know, a person who he knew had nowhere to hide from those rounds. To top it all off as Reeva Steenkamp's poor parents sat there they had to hear their daughter repeatedly referred to as "the deceased" without even the courtesy and dignity of her name.

I do hope there's a procedure for judicial recall in SA and this judge gets to go through it. So much blatant favouritism through both trials and sentencing phases, it makes me ill.

I agree with what cory said. I would go slightly further and say there may be a legitimate argument that ASD would go to intent in that someone with an ASD might have a different interpretation of society's rules so might make a different judgment as to what is a grey area of acceptability. e.g. hacking helps companies develop stronger system defences by exposing weaknesses in their security.

I struggle to see how a physical disability affects intent when firing lethal
rounds through a door into a confined space.

Just watched the sentencing -his sulky, sorry for himself face has really got to me during these court appearances. It's entirely self pity. Horrendous man.

He really just doesn't get it does he? Any pity or sorrow he has displayed, in my opinion, has been for poor little old him. Spoiled brat or sociopath?

I'd go with sociopath.

Spoilt, I think. Even though he has a disability he was able to make the most of the hand he was dealt and by putting himself into top physical condition he became a star athlete - not "just" on the Paralympic level but on the Olympic/world level. That athletic prowess and fame combined with what I have to admit are good looks (when he's not pulling sad faces in a courtroom) have made it so pretty much everything was handed him on a plate. Over the past few years he seems first utterly astonished that he can't simply explain that he's a nice man who just made a mistake and walk out the door, and then suffering from an extreme case of "woe is me, how could this happen to A MAN LIKE ME, people in prison will be jealous and want to beat me up!"

I watched the original trial online. Whilst this sentence is not enough, I am just glad that Reeva's family had the strength to appeal and at least he got six years. They have acted with such dignity.

I was surprised OP managed to hold it together when the sentence was read. He certainly didn't during the trial - there was much sobbing, crying, retching, vomiting. He has never ever faced up to this and no doubt he still thinks it was just an accident.

I just hope there is no way this sentence can be reduced.

I was surprised OP managed to hold it together when the sentence was read.

He held it together because he was only sentenced to 6 years. Out in 3. Of course he held it together. It could and should have been 15 minimum!

Unbelievable. Horrible man.

Yes, you're right Monkeys. I just imagine he expected even less but there was relief I'm sure.

Just read this tweet "South Africa...where you get 7 years for stealing sheep & 6 years for murder."

But he will only serve half.
3 Fucking years

RIP Reeva.

Just read this tweet "South Africa...where you get 7 years for stealing sheep & 6 years for murder."

Spot on. No doubt being a rich, famous white man who murdered a woman had something to do with it, too.

This is awful. He has shown no remorse, just self pity. Reeva's family have been so strong in the face of such tragedy

Can't believe its gone back to the same judge. The judge that bought his pathetic story about not knowing it was her...the judge who tried to let him off completely. He will do what..1-2 years as he has spent time under 'house arrest' (I would love to do house arrest in a fucking mansion like) too. Its just unbelievable. I hope he rots in hell once his time comes, I really do.

Wicked wicked man

How strange that th same judge who committed a sentencing error in favour of this murderer in the first trial has done the same thing in the second trial.

It's horrendous, a total travesty. The judge said that he was not a violent man, had shown remorse and was unlikely to reoffend. Which trial was she watching????

Sickened for Reeva and her family

Remorse my arse!

I agree with Worra about his resent interview with ITV, (which he did last month, despite being too traumatised to speak at his recent trail) when he had the audacity to say Reeva wouldnt want him to go to prison and waste his life. How fucking dare he say such a thing.

And why didn't the judge mention his ability to give a long, snivelling interview to ITV but weeks later was he was unable to answer questions in court? I wonder who's paying her off?

I just pray that, whilst he is behind the bars he deserves to be imprisoned by, that the prosecution appeal again with a view to increasing his sentence.

The judge is an utter moron, how on earth can she sentence him to

I'm sickened by this. How can the judge be so sympathetic to him?

I'm not normally party to conspiracies, but I'm seriously wondering about the possibility that she was paid off

It's murder - how can she still be saying he didn't mean to kill? Bar his fanatics fans, the whole world can see this clearly now - 6 years???! For recklessly, angrily taking the life of that beautiful, lovely woman. Makes me want to cry.

It's so weird reading these threads now because at the time on MN everyone (majority) was about how amazing the judge was and how she would definitely get it right. Weird with hindsight.

Yes, I remember, noeuf.

I was one of them - she had a good track record of hold men very accountable for violence against women, and setting harsh sentences. There were some long articles about her that I read before the verdicts.

I can't think why was so lenient here. If I was Nel, I would be ranting and raving "FFS, what do I have to do here?!"

She was, she had very good 'reviews' online. I guess you're more likely to be won around by a sociopath when they're in the same room as you?

Yes, I remember that too. I watched the trial online and had a lot to say on MN. I never imagined she would weaken.

On the other Pistorious thread, someone has said that Gerrie Nel has tweeted that she's been paid off by his family...

I think there were holes in the case against him that weren't satisfactorily answered and I don't believe the case that he is definitely responsible for murder because he knew someone was in the toilet holds up when you look at the atmosphere in South Africa. I have spent a bit of time there and you are living in the constant knowledge that one wrong move and you would be lucky to escape with your life.

Ultimately he has no history (that I'm aware of) of violence against women and the couple of text messages talking about problems weren't representative of their relationship as a whole. The case against Oscar was flawed from the start - he didn't take drugs as the prosecution claimed, there was no text message from her ex to provoke him as the prosecution claimed, he wasn't wearing his prosthetics as the prosecution claimed, the prosecution's theory that he hit her with the baseball bat was thrown out because there was nothing to it - their narrative did not hold up. His however did hold up.

I think he's a troubled guy with anxiety issues who shouldn't have a gun. And he committed manslaughter.