Oscar Pistorius

willowthewisp wrote:I noticed a short clip from the news and seen "Oscar's" performance appearing before the Court minus his prosthetic legs,going for the sympathy from the Court in the process, still manufacturing for as short a sentence as possible, but at the end of the day, he still took his girl friends life,RIP Reeva and my sympathy to your family in this tragic loss of her life and Oscar has ruined his own life in the process,why couldn't he just let her walk away,Love?

Yes I felt a bit mean when I saw him and felt no sympathy at all for him.  At least he is here and can walk on his stumps but as you say at the end of the day Reeva died a horrific death and I feel sorry for her and her family.

sar wrote:Furious with Pistorious!  How dare he sit with his head in his hands in court!!!  Maybe he should have sat with his head in his hands before he picked up the gun shot through the door and killed his girlfriend!  Monster!!!!  He deserves to rot.

It's all about him, how he feels.   Spoiled, used to getting his own way and thought he could do as he liked.   WRONG.   He does deserve to rot.

Judge Masipa has just sentenced Pistorius to 6 years in prison (the full term for murder is 15 years).

She stated that the 'substantial and compelling circumstances' justified a lesser sentence. Pistorius's belief that there was an intruder in the house has been substantiated as has the attempt by Pistorius to try to save Reeva Steenkamp's life after he realised his mistake. He has shown remorse about his actions in 'this court' and he has attempted to apologise to the Steenkamp family (which must have been difficult for him) - he is genuinely remorseful. Masipa stated that the 'mitigating circumstances outweigh the aggravating factors' in this case. She continued, 'Our courts are courts of law, not courts of public opinion'. 

Judge Masipa will hear any appeals on the sentence today.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2016/jul/06/oscar-pistorius-sentenced-murder-reeva-steenkamp-live

It's being mooted by legal experts that he may be eligible for parole on serving two years. Deduct the 20 months already time served and it means four months to go.

I thought i read that it was a new sentence and previous time already served wouldn't matter. Might be wrong. He seriously needs to just take it on the chin. Appealing the decision would be a terrible mistake and make it seem as if he thinks he has already paid the price. Just send out a quote saying that he deserves what he has got, he will serve his time and will forever beg forgiveness from the family, and he might have a chance of living a semi-normal life on release. If he appeals an already lenient sentence then his chance of any kind of redemption evaporates.

woodbine wrote:I thought i read that it was a new sentence and previous time already served wouldn't matter. Might be wrong. He seriously needs to just take it on the chin. Appealing the decision would be a terrible mistake and make it seem as if he thinks he has already paid the price. Just send out a quote saying that he deserves what he has got, he will serve his time and will forever beg forgiveness from the family, and he might have a chance of living a semi-normal life on release. If he appeals an already lenient sentence then his chance of any kind of redemption evaporates.

Hi woodbine, good post.

It's a bit confusing at the moment as to whether the time-served element is applicable to the new sentence. I wouldn't have thought it would be discarded though, otherwise there is a failure of 'justice' in the first sentencing. I'm not betting my shirt on it but I'd be very surprised if time-served is disallowed.

The reporter said that the one year already served would be taken into account and that would leave 2 years in prison.  Beggars belief.

plebgate wrote:The reporter said that the one year already served would be taken into account and that would leave 2 years in prison.  Beggars belief.

The time-served is more than one year. OP served around 10 months in prison and was released for rehabilitation - that also counts as time served.

Journalists out there seem to be as useless as some here then.

As I see things, Oscar Pistorius will serve a nominal few months in prison before parole is granted. During the time Oscar is in lock-up he will most likely be under the care of mental health professionals not only from the prison system but from his family. Nothing will happen to Oscar Pistorius in a South African gaol - heaven forbid the bad publicity that would cause to the South African government.

Masipa let out a very telling thing when she referred to the onus being on the prison service to decide what treatment is appropriate and it not being the decision of the court. She very cleverly ping-ponged that one before giving a woefully short sentence with a preamble that even the educationally subnormal could see through. The woman stumbled several times to pronounce the name Steenkamp.

This is not about a crime imo. This is about the embarrassment that may be caused to the South African government on a worldwide stage should this so-called civilized rainbow nation's government and prison system be shown to be the absolute hell it really is. Corruption is rife in South Africa on every level. Imagine something happened to Oscar in prison? the world's media would be blasting that everywhere.

It's not about 'rich and famous white boy gets away with murder' - it's truly not.

Oscar Pistorius: Six years for Reeva Steenkamp murder

South African Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to six years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

It comes after his initial five-year conviction for manslaughter was changed to murder last December on appeal.

He was taken immediately to jail. Both the prosecution and defence can appeal, but his lawyers say they will not.

Pistorius, 29, shot Reeva Steenkamp four times through a locked toilet door in February 2013.

He admitted shooting her, but said he had mistaken Ms Steenkamp for an intruder and acted out of fear.

Judge Thokozile Masipa said mitigating circumstances, such as rehabilitation and remorse, outweighed aggravating factors, such as his failure to fire a warning shot, for deviating from the prescribed 15-year sentence.

Shock and dismay, by Pumza Fihlani, BBC News, Pretoria

Many have expressed shock at Pistorius's sentence, which is much less than the prescribed minimum for murder. South Africans have taken to social media to express their unhappiness, with some describing the prison term as an insult.

Outside court, legal experts said the sentence was too little. "The judge was sympathetic and empathetic to Pistorius. It was clear in the tone of her entire judgement," one said.

But Judge Masipa said she had carefully considered the circumstances around Reeva Steenkamp's death and her sentence needed to be fair to both Pistorius and the family of the deceased.

South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, and some say a short sentence will send the wrong message to would-be-offenders.

Dressed in a dark suit, Pistorius sat and listened to the hour-long session mostly with his head down.

He hugged his tearful sister after the verdict, and was taken to Pretoria's Khosi Mampuru prison.

Ms Steenkamp's parents, Barry and June, sat quietly on the other side of the courtroom, packed with journalists and other observers.

Pistorius has already served one year in jail over his previous conviction.

He is legally obliged to serve half of his new term before being eligible for parole.

His legal team said he will serve the sentence prescribed and would only act to appeal if prosecutors indicated they wanted to appeal.

Prosecutors have not ruled it out and still have 14 days to decide if they will do so, correspondents say.

Barry Steenkamp told the BBC he was pleased that the trial was over, even though life would never be the same again.

Ms Steenkamp's parents had previously expressed disappointment with the initial sentence, an opinion shared by many South Africans. Women's rights groups considered it too lenient.

But Judge Masipa said her opinion was that "a long term in prison will not serve justice".

"Public opinion may be loud and persistent but it can play no role in the decision of this court."

Ms Masipa also said there was "no indication" that the victim was in an abusive relationship or this was a case of "gender violence".

Some rights groups have also argued that Pistorius, a wealthy white man and international celebrity, has received preferential treatment compared with others who lack his status or wealth.

The six-time Paralympic gold medallist made history by becoming the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics, in 2012 in London, running on prosthetic "blades".

He had his legs amputated below the knee as a baby.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-36719561

I despair at the worlds justice system - because this murderer walks across the court room on his stumps, says he's sorry and claims to have thought he was shooting a burglar through a locked door (the bathroom?) he is played out by the court as the victim?

The phrase 'to get away with murder' is oh so appropriate!

The defense are not going to appeal the sentence which is a wise move for them, given the mandatory for murder is 15 years.
The prosecution are going to appeal and rightly so.
He should have gotten the  required minimum of 15 years and then anything else that the judge decided on based on the evidence itself, his action during the commission of the crime and afterwards and also what he has done or not done since then, remorse, apologies etc.

Apparently he got 6 years because he tried to revive her and has apologized repeatedly to her family.

However this is not born out by the evidence.

There is evidence that she was hit with a cricket bat and then shot with an airgun before being murdered by 4 dumdum bullets (hollow oints which are designed to expand on firing to cause as much damage as possible.

There is no evidence that he tried to revive her given that when security called to see what was happening, he told them everything was fine.
There evidence i believe that showed he tried to dress her and also that he was planning on disposing of her body.

All the tears and remorse are not for Reeva, they are tears of pity for himself because he got caught.

Of course the defense won't appeal, they know what the mandatory minimum was and they love that he only got 6 years, less than half the mandatory minimum.
The minimum anyone else convicted of murder would have gotten.
They aren't fools to appeal what is a hellishly light service, for them it is a big win.

The prosecution will and should appeal given the fact that the mandatory minimum for murder was not applied.
Why was it different for him?
There were no mitigating circumstances.
He has a history of a raging temper and  irresponsible gun use, even to having friends take the blame for his actions.

His disability was claimed as a mitigation.

Why?

It didn't stop him committing cold blooded murder.
it didn't stop him competing in both the Paralympics and the Olympics.

He can't have it both ways.


He wanted to be treated like any other normal bodied person until he murdered Reeva and then he wanted to be treated like any other disabled person with no lower legs and pitied.
He was and is playing a game.

He isn't sorry he murdered Reeva.
She was likely leaving him and he decided that  no one does that  him.
If he can't have her, no one else can.
It was all about control.
It was his way or the highway.
Sadly for Reeva the highway turned out to be a casket.

I will bet a lot of people are asking why he is getting such leniency, which is he being treated differently?
What makes him special above all others?

Why is the Judge so merciful to him?
Is it his fame?
Is it his money (which he allegedly no longer has due to legal bills)?
is it something else?

I would like to see what other murder cases she has  delat6 with and where murder is proven, what her sentences have been like?
Is this a pattern or is it unique?

aquila wrote:As I see things, Oscar Pistorius will serve a nominal few months in prison before parole is granted. During the time Oscar is in lock-up he will most likely be under the care of mental health professionals not only from the prison system but from his family. Nothing will happen to Oscar Pistorius in a South African gaol - heaven forbid the bad publicity that would cause to the South African government.

Masipa let out a very telling thing when she referred to the onus being on the prison service to decide what treatment is appropriate and it not being the decision of the court. She very cleverly ping-ponged that one before giving a woefully short sentence with a preamble that even the educationally subnormal could see through. The woman stumbled several times to pronounce the name Steenkamp.

This is not about a crime imo. This is about the embarrassment that may be caused to the South African government on a worldwide stage should this so-called civilized rainbow nation's government and prison system be shown to be the absolute hell it really is. Corruption is rife in South Africa on every level. Imagine something happened to Oscar in prison? the world's media would be blasting that everywhere.

It's not about 'rich and famous white boy gets away with murder' - it's truly not.

I'm inclined to agree with your observations on the outcome of this case and of the rainbow nation where equality and democracy reign supreme - so called because of the heroics of their patron saint of humanities, Nelson Mandella.  Anyone that can't see through the deception broadcasted over the years by their regime is in serious need of a reality check.

Tell me something from your personal experience - is South Africa's media controlled by the state?

Hobs wrote:
His disability was claimed as a mitigation.

Why?

It didn't stop him committing cold blooded murder.
it didn't stop him competing in both the Paralympics and the Olympics.

He can't have it both ways.


He wanted to be treated like any other normal bodied person until he murdered Reeva and then he wanted to be treated like any other disabled person with no lower legs and pitied.
He was and is playing a game.

He isn't sorry he murdered Reeva.
She was likely leaving him and he decided that  no one does that  him.
If he can't have her, no one else can.
It was all about control.
It was his way or the highway.
Sadly for Reeva the highway turned out to be a casket.

Agreed 100%

Verdi wrote:

aquila wrote:As I see things, Oscar Pistorius will serve a nominal few months in prison before parole is granted. During the time Oscar is in lock-up he will most likely be under the care of mental health professionals not only from the prison system but from his family. Nothing will happen to Oscar Pistorius in a South African gaol - heaven forbid the bad publicity that would cause to the South African government.

Masipa let out a very telling thing when she referred to the onus being on the prison service to decide what treatment is appropriate and it not being the decision of the court. She very cleverly ping-ponged that one before giving a woefully short sentence with a preamble that even the educationally subnormal could see through. The woman stumbled several times to pronounce the name Steenkamp.

This is not about a crime imo. This is about the embarrassment that may be caused to the South African government on a worldwide stage should this so-called civilized rainbow nation's government and prison system be shown to be the absolute hell it really is. Corruption is rife in South Africa on every level. Imagine something happened to Oscar in prison? the world's media would be blasting that everywhere.

It's not about 'rich and famous white boy gets away with murder' - it's truly not.

I'm inclined to agree with your observations on the outcome of this case and of the rainbow nation where equality and democracy reign supreme - so called because of the heroics of their patron saint of humanities, Nelson Mandella.  Anyone that can't see through the deception broadcasted over the years by their regime is in serious need of a reality check.

Tell me something from your personal experience - is South Africa's media controlled by the state?

Here is a current battle with the publicly owned South African television channel SABC.

http://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/sabc-is-lying-by-ommission-2042507

Editing to Add:

For anyone interested in South African politics, look up 'toyi toyi' on youtube (it's pronounced toy toy) and see why the ANC censor media broadcasts.

aquila wrote:

Verdi wrote:

aquila wrote:As I see things, Oscar Pistorius will serve a nominal few months in prison before parole is granted. During the time Oscar is in lock-up he will most likely be under the care of mental health professionals not only from the prison system but from his family. Nothing will happen to Oscar Pistorius in a South African gaol - heaven forbid the bad publicity that would cause to the South African government.

Masipa let out a very telling thing when she referred to the onus being on the prison service to decide what treatment is appropriate and it not being the decision of the court. She very cleverly ping-ponged that one before giving a woefully short sentence with a preamble that even the educationally subnormal could see through. The woman stumbled several times to pronounce the name Steenkamp.

This is not about a crime imo. This is about the embarrassment that may be caused to the South African government on a worldwide stage should this so-called civilized rainbow nation's government and prison system be shown to be the absolute hell it really is. Corruption is rife in South Africa on every level. Imagine something happened to Oscar in prison? the world's media would be blasting that everywhere.

It's not about 'rich and famous white boy gets away with murder' - it's truly not.

I'm inclined to agree with your observations on the outcome of this case and of the rainbow nation where equality and democracy reign supreme - so called because of the heroics of their patron saint of humanities, Nelson Mandella.  Anyone that can't see through the deception broadcasted over the years by their regime is in serious need of a reality check.

Tell me something from your personal experience - is South Africa's media controlled by the state?

Here is a current battle with the publicly owned South African television channel SABC.

http://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/sabc-is-lying-by-ommission-2042507

Editing to Add:

For anyone interested in South African politics, look up 'toyi toyi' on youtube (it's pronounced toy toy) and see why the ANC censor media broadcasts.

Thank you. I will look at my leisure.

I've just watched a Reggie Yates doco on BBC iplayer. I've watched other docos by Reggie Yates who seems to be the black darling of the British Biased Corporation.

This particular documentary is so bloody biased I want to chew my own hand off.

This is really not how things are in South Africa. He begins with a trailer park of white trash who drink and can't support themselves, then talks to a rich black DJ who drives a mercedes and talks about equality in terms of percentages. I could scream.

This is not what it's like in South Africa, and as for the Alexandra township I really don't have the words to explain my anger at the ANC for building shacks.

I become very angry when black people from Caribbean countries go to South Africa and feel some need to tell Europe that white people are racist. Oprah Winfrey opened an academy school in Henley-on-Klip, made a huge deal of her investment and went on to take the first of her pupils to USA. How many of them returned? It was a big publicity stunt with no subsequent reporting.

Here's the link to this pitiful BBC bullshit broadcast (Yates has also done a stupid doco about being taken into a US gaol).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03w4bsv/reggie-yatess-extreme-south-africa-1-the-white-slums

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3701034/Prosecutors-appeal-Oscar-Pistorius-six-year-jail-sentence-

Good news the NPA are appealing Oscars sentence hope they get another judge one that is not bias....

Prosecutors appeal to extend Oscar Pistorius sentence

Prosecutors are appealing to extend the six-year murder sentence handed to Oscar Pistorius last year.
South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal will hear the state's arguments on 3 November.

Pistorius, a Paralympic gold medallist, was jailed in 2016 for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The National Prosecuting Authority will claim the sentence was too short.
"The state, in the papers, we stipulate clearly that the sentence imposed is shockingly low," said NPA spokesman Luvuyo Mfaku.

http://news.sky.com/story/prosecutors-to-appeal-against-oscar-pistorius-six-year-sentence-11042861

Well they'd better get a move on because by next year Oscar Pistorius will have served two thirds of his extended sentence and will be eligible for parole consideration.

I watched a tv programme a few nights ago about the Pistorius case and it ended with something along the lines of Pistorius is in a special jail facility for the disabled in South Africa. There was no qualifying fact to say there is such a facility.