Updated 1:15 p.m. Moscow Time
MOSCOW, October 21 (RIA Novosti) – South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to five years in prison for culpable homicide in the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Pistorius, who won two gold medals at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, fatally shot Steenkamp in February 2013.
On October 17, state prosecutor Gerrie Nel said that Pistorius should be sentenced to a minimum of 10 years for his crime. Defense attorney Barry Roux said earlier that the athlete should be given community service.
Pistorius shot Steenkamp dead in the early hours of February 14, 2013. According to the Paralympic champion, he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder and fired his 9-mm pistol four times through a closed bathroom door.
In September, Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide but was cleared of premeditated murder by Judge Thokozile Masipa in a ruling that many found unjust, including the Steenkamp family.
