Oscar Pistorius should be sentenced to three years’ correctional supervision, according to Joel Maringa, a social worker for the Department of Correctional Services.
Maringa was testifying in mitigation of sentence following the Blade Runner’s conviction for culpable homicide last month for the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Maringa recommended that the proposed three-year sentence include house arrest; 16 hours of community service a month; attendance of workshops on handling negative emotions, trauma counselling and law courses; and that he be prohibited from having access to firearms.
The community service envisaged, he said, would involve "some sort of domestic work" at a Pretoria institution, such as a hospital or a museum.
During his cross-examination of Maringa, prosecutor Gerrie Nel described these recommendations as "shockingly inappropriate for the facts of this matter", and accused the social worker of not having applied his mind correctly to the facts of the court judgment. Maringa said it was not the department’s intention to destroy Pistorius, but rather to "build" him as a productive member of society.
Following Maringa on the stand was Pistorius's manager Peet van Zyl, who was busy testifying to his client's long list of charitable works and achievements before the court’s lunch adjournment.
Van Zyl described Pistorius as the most accommodating and humbling person he had ever met. He said Pistorius would go out of his way to help people with disabilities on his own time and for no financial gain.
3-year correctional supervision recommended for Oscar
Maringa was testifying in mitigation of sentence following the Blade Runner’s conviction for culpable homicide last month for the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Maringa recommended that the proposed three-year sentence include house arrest; 16 hours of community service a month; attendance of workshops on handling negative emotions, trauma counselling and law courses; and that he be prohibited from having access to firearms.
The community service envisaged, he said, would involve "some sort of domestic work" at a Pretoria institution, such as a hospital or a museum.
During his cross-examination of Maringa, prosecutor Gerrie Nel described these recommendations as "shockingly inappropriate for the facts of this matter", and accused the social worker of not having applied his mind correctly to the facts of the court judgment. Maringa said it was not the department’s intention to destroy Pistorius, but rather to "build" him as a productive member of society.
Following Maringa on the stand was Pistorius's manager Peet van Zyl, who was busy testifying to his client's long list of charitable works and achievements before the court’s lunch adjournment.
Van Zyl described Pistorius as the most accommodating and humbling person he had ever met. He said Pistorius would go out of his way to help people with disabilities on his own time and for no financial gain.
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