Cops escort Oscar to hear his fate

Paralympian and double-amputee Oscar Pistorius arrived in the High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday morning to hear his new sentence for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

Pistorius‚ accompanied by four policemen‚ arrived at 9.02‚ just less than 30 minutes before Judge Thokozile Masipa was due to start sentencing him at 9.30.

He greeted his family members‚ including his brother Carl‚ who were seated on the front bench and a correctional services official before talking to his attorneys near the dock.

Pistorius had served just over a year of a five-year prison sentence after he was convicted of culpable homicide for the killing of Steenkamp. He served just less than a year of that sentence before being released on parole last year.

However‚ Pistorius was sentenced again last year after the Supreme Court of Appeal set aside his conviction for culpable homicide and replaced it with that of murder. The appeal court sent the matter back to the high court to determine an appropriate sentence.

Counsel for Pistorius‚ Barry Roux SC‚ had asked the court three weeks ago to impose a sentence that will incorporate community service‚ while prosecutor Gerrie Nel asked the court to impose a 15-year jail sentence.

Reeva’s father Barry Steenkamp testified during the sentencing proceedings three weeks ago that Pistorius had to pay for his crime.

Steenkamp said it had been difficult for him to forgive.

“I feel Oscar has to pay for what he did.”

Steenkamp said although his wife June had forgiven Pistorius‚ this did does not mean that Pistorius was being exonerated for the crime he had committed.