Oscar Pistorius

rondetto

He's got a 5 year prison sentence for the culpable homicide, also 3 years firearm offences but that is suspended and anyway to run concurrently.
I reckon he's got off very lightly, I expected him to get at least 1o years.

mamasmurf

10 months in jail then house arrest ; poor little rich boy !
mamasmurf

LignumVitae

I thought he'd get more than five and I feel very sorry for her family because it must seem like her life has been weighed against his charity work and reputation for representing his country. Both are important but they don't hold a candle to somebody's life. Personally, having heard most of the evidence I query the murder verdict being overturned - I've never managed to get out of bed without knowing my other half wasn't in it, never mind the fact he thought his house was being broken into - isn't your natural reaction to turn to the other person and ask 'did you hear something?'

rondetto

Tes, in African law he only has to serve one sixth of his jail sentence and the rest under home arrest.
So that's less than one year in jail. He'll only still be 33 when the five years are up, can still make a fortune from books and tv appearances as well as maybe taking up his athletics career.

barbara12

Im with LV I would know if my OH wasn't in bed especially if I thought someone had broken in :roll: he has got off lightly ..my thoughts are with her family, they have conducted themselves with dignity throughout the trial, it must have been so awful for them and there sentence is for life..'

Slosh

How to get away with murder? Be a famous sportsman man... rminds me very much of the OJ Simpson thing.
How he didn't know she wasn't in the bed I just don't know, and I also wonder why she felt she had to lock herself into the toilet when it was just the two of them in the apartment.
Apparently he'll be able to apply for parole after 10 months and is already planning his book as he is broke.

What I find most disgusting about his whole attitude is that not only did he want to do community service in a school for children with disabilities, for whom let's face it he was likely to still be an idol, but that he tried to use his disability as an excuse/justification for murder.

rondetto

Also: Why the need to take her mobile phone with her and lock herself in the toilet?

I think there's a lot that didn't come out at the trial, apparently it's been reported that he had been on the phone to another girl that evening. I wonder if that ended up with a blazing row, we know that Pistorius
doesn't like losing.....maybe not even an argument.

hileena111

I thought he would get a lot more than that
As someone else said....Poor little rich boy
He's famous etc etc etc so therefore he gets away with it......anyone else would be thrown in and left to rot
I believe he is going to be kept in a single cell in the hospital wing!!!!!!!! :shock:
Oh protect him why don't you!!!!

Hileena

dreamdaisy

He appears to be an arrogant, immature and over-indulged man. His accusations levelled at the athlete who beat him at London 2012 were appalling, he couldn't accept that he'd been beaten by someone younger and fitter, oh no, he claimed the chap's prosthetics were illegal. There is an art to losing with grace and he has never mastered it, possibly because he has overcome so much.


Steenkamp was foolish, she should have ended that relationship long before that fateful night. DD

Megrose489

I've been following Barry Bateman on Twitter. He is a journalist who was at the trial and tweeted as the trial progressed. It's been very interesting to see the way the law works in South Africa. I've also ordered 'Behind the Door', a book written by Barry Bateman and Mandy Wiener about the trial.

It reminded me of the OJ Simpson trial, too, Slosh. Money and fame talks! I was disappointed firstly, when the verdict was manslaughter and secondly, when it appears he will be out in 10 months time.

rondetto

It's ridiculous, that 10 months in prison is the value of a beautiful young woman/s life. That's not justice.

theresak

He`s got a nice private cell too - still being indulged and pandered to.

toady

rondetto wrote:

It's ridiculous, that 10 months in prison is the value of a beautiful young woman/s life. That's not justice.

I'm sure you are using beautiful in a general sense but as this is the way the media coverage is usually pitched, this type of comment always makes me want to ask, is it a lesser tragedy if it is an ordinary/plain/uninteresting young woman..

Same goes for whenever an accidental death or murder of a (usually young) person is covered in the media, they always stress one or more of the following qualities - bright, bubbly, popular, good at school, talented, a lovely smile, etc - yes, you realise they are not going to stand and iterate an individuals shortcoming's at such a time, but the conveyed message is that the death of an unpopular and nondescript person is much the lesser loss.

My opinion on the case itself - I don't have access to the 100% truth of the matter in order to dispute the verdict/sentence and in my humble view nor does anyone bar the parties concerned.

rondetto

That's rather contrite. I'm sure that watching the trial we know as much as anyone else, though as I have said previously, I think there is a little more to circumstances than came out. So many questions unanswered.
As to my mentioning the loss of a beautiful young woman then that is fact
not fiction, of course it would be exactly the same had it been a woman who murdered a handsome young man.Loss of life when they have their whole life ahead is a tragedy.
Miss Steenkamp was indeed a beautiful young woman with the world at her feet, she may have continued her studies in law or gone into acting, we will never know now. That is the tragedy and I can only feel sympathy for her family and friends.

toady

What you have said there is along the same lines of the point I was questioning the first time. (I wasn't making any sort of gender issue by the way). It's a case of whether the loss of an unattractive young woman or man would be less tragic, including what someone may or may not have gone on to achieve. An 'ordinary' person without the world at their feet is no less of a loss in any sense, is my point - & belief.

stickywicket

Hear, hear, Toady.

Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. John Donne