Oscar Pistorius jailed for 6 years

The South African judge, Thokozile Masipa, has imposed a 6-year jail term on Oscar Pistorius, the paralympics star, for murdering his girlfriend 3 years ago. The judge said: "No sentence will please everyone. (But) Nothing will bring back the deceased." Pistorius has already spent time in prison. The court heard evidence that he struggled as an inmate. But she does not accept that he was "vilified' or treated badly by prison officials. But on reports that he was aggressive to prison staff, Masipa said `quick-tempered' does not necessarily mean he is a violent person. The defence wants a non-custodial sentence, the judge added. They cited workshops on anger management as proof he had been rehabilitated. But deterrence and retribution are just as important, the Judge says. She has taken into consideration mitigating factors as she started reading out Oscar Pistorius' sentence for murdering girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Judge Thokozile Masipa began with the background to her decision of Pistorius' sentence. The double-amputee Olympian faced a possible 15-year jail term for shooting Steenkamp in 2013. Pistorius's lawyers have argued he should not return to jail because of his anxiety and depression. Court proceedings three weeks ago saw Pistorius hobble across the courtroom to demonstrate his physical vulnerability. Steenkamp's family have said Pistorius should pay for the crime and prosecutor Gerrie Nel has argued that he should be given a lengthy jail term as he failed to show any remorse for the murder.