Oscar Pistorius was sentenced to six years in a South African prison on Wednesday for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Pistorius, who was found guilty of murder last year, was described as a “fallen hero” by Judge Thokozile Masipa.
“Our courts are courts of law, not courts of public opinion,” Masipa said during the ruling. “He’s a fallen hero, he has lost his career and he is ruined financially.”
Pistorius could have been sentenced to as much as 15 years in prison, but Masipa said leniency is warranted because the six-time Paralympic gold medalist is a “good candidate for rehabilitation” and has shown genuine remorse over killing Steenkamp. Pistorius was previously convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to five years, but he served just one of them and has been on house arrest since.
