Oscar Pistorius Trial: The Verdict

This week the world witnessed the verdict of Judge Masipa which concluded on 21st October with Oscar Pistorius recieving 8 years of sentencing for gun possession and culpable homicide. Some said the sentancing was too harsh, arguing that South Africa’s prison system was not adept to dealing with his celebrity and disability, while others called for a harsher sentencing. 

The verdict marks the final point in a marathon trial following the death of Reeva Steenkamp on the evening of 14 February 2013. Key moments from the trial included:

• August 19th 2013: Pistorius is charged with premeditated murder and possession of unlicensed ammunition at Pretoria Magistrates court. 
• March 3rd 2014: Trial begins in Pretoria’s high court. While it was only scheduled to last three weeks, proceedings took longer than expected.
• May 11th 2014: Trial postponed while Pistorius is submitted for Psychiatric testing.
• September 12th 2014: Pistorius is controversially convicted of culpable homicide – manslaughter – and sentencing is set for mid-October.

When the sentance was given the courtroom was silent; there were no outbursts from the Steenkamp family and Pistorius was only given a chance to shake hands with his Uncle before the leaving the courtroom. The public quickly moved to social media to express their feelings about the controversial verdict. News media exploded with reactions, from BBC News’ recent tweet: ‘#OscarPistorius ‘would have killed someone sooner or later’, Reeva Steenkamp’s mother says’, to the following opinions:

It has also recently been revealed that Reeva’s mother, June Steenkamp, has secured a book deal which is to be serialised in The Times newspaper. 

A fair setencing for a disabled Olympian, or a terrible precedent set for the South African courts system? Everyone has an opinion, and those will only develop as we find out whether he serves the full prison term.