Paralympian Oscar Pistorius was convicted in the court of first instance of culpable homicide (negligent killing) and sentenced to 5 years' imprisonment.
The ZA Supreme Court of Appeal convicted him of murder (intentional killing) and referred the question of sentencing to the court of first instance.
He has been sentenced to 6 years' imprisonment.
The statutory minimum sentence for murder is 15 years, and can be reduced only if the court finds good reason to do so.
The difference in the sentences (5 years for culpable homicide, 6 years for murder) seems disproportionate.
It was a murder case in the context of domestic violence. South Africa has a campaign against violence against women, particularly domestic violence. The low sentence seems to trivialise domestic violence.
The defence argued for a sentence less than the minimum sentence on the basis of Oscar Pistorius' disability. As Oscar the Athlete was intent on being treated the same as an able-bodied athlete, the irony of Oscar the Murderer advancing his disability to justify a lesser sentence is obvious.
