Live video from Pretoria High Court
Disgraced South African track star Oscar Pistorius arrived at the Pretoria High Court on Monday for a sentencing hearing that will determine whether he serves jail time for the negligent killing of his girlfriend, or walks out a free man.
A stony-faced Pistorius stared straight ahead as police officers escorted him into the court building. He declined to answer questions from the scrum of reporters but greeted his family inside the court with smiles and hugs.
Reeva SteenkampPhoto: AP Photo/Ice Model Management
After a six-month, on-off trial that captivated South Africa and millions more around the world who admired Pistorius as a symbol of triumph over physical adversity, opinion is starkly divided on the eventual outcome.
A non-custodial sentence would be likely to spark public anger, fuelling a perception among black South Africans that, 20 years after the end of apartheid, wealthy whites can still secure preferential justice.
"At the end of the day a young lady was killed and someone should pay for it," said 57-year-old Mildred Lekalakala, a member of the Women's League of the ruling African National Congress.
The 27-year-old Paralympic and Olympic athlete, whose lower legs were amputated as a baby, was convicted of culpable homicide last month for the Valentine's Day shooting of 29-year-old law graduate and model Reeva Steenkamp.
Judge Thokozile Masipa cleared Pistorius of the more serious charge of murder, saying prosecutors had failed to prove his intent to kill when he fired four 9mm rounds through the door of a toilet cubicle, in what he said was the mistaken belief an intruder was hiding behind it.
A murder conviction would have almost certainly carried a jail sentence. Culpable homicide, South Africa's equivalent of manslaughter, can be punished by anything from 15 years in jail to a suspended sentence or community service.
In a front page headline on Friday, South Africa's Times newspaper cited experts saying: 'Oscar won't go to jail'. Conversely, Johannesburg's Star said he was likely to get as many as 10 years behind bars, with a portion suspended.
At the sentencing hearing, Masipa is expected to hear arguments from prosecution and defense, possibly for as long as a day each, and psychological and probation experts before making her ruling.
Legal Repercussions
AP
EPA
EPA
Charlie Shoemaker/Getty Images
The day in photos 23 Photos
The lunar eclipse lights up the skies all over the...
Now you see them: Can you spot these camouflaged critters? 21 Photos
No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you! See if...
Celebs who altered tattoos of their ex 14 Photos
Nick Cannon made a public statement last week after debuting...
The day in photos 24 Photos
The Ebola scare hits home (and Spain), robots get their...
The day in photos 18 Photos
Canines croon, President Barack Obama meets about the economy, newlyweds...
The day in photos 18 Photos
Penguins play, President Barack Obama speaks, First Lady Michelle Obama...
Hail this: NYC taxi drivers get their own calendar 9 Photos
Philip Kirkman of live432.com and his fiancee, Shannon McLaughlin of Fauna...
Festival-goers get high in hammocks at Highline Festival 16 Photos
See what it's like to lounge over 150 feet in...
The day in photos 25 Photos
Diving gets serious, a grizzly gal gears up for a...
The day in photos 19 Photos
The Aurora Borealis dazzles, protesters rally against Israeli Prime Minister...
Superb snaps: National Geographic 2014 Photo Contest finalists 10 Photos
The National Geographic 2014 Photo Contest features incredible shots of...
The day in photos 21 Photos
Dogs and owners get cozy at Westminster, President Barack Obama...
The decision by 66-year-old Masipa, only the second black woman to rise to South Africa's bench, to absolve Pistorius of murder drew criticism from many legal experts and the public in a country infamous for violence, particularly against women.
The professional criticism centered on the legal notion of intent via 'dolus eventualis', whereby a person is held responsible for the foreseeable consequences of their actions. Laymen have pondered the practical consequences of the ruling, in particular what it meant for the legal principle of self-defense.
Pistorius said the shooting in his upmarket Pretoria home was a tragic mistake, but at the trial prosecutors presented a written firearms license test in which he acknowledged that using lethal force against an intruder was only allowed if there was a direct threat to a person's life.
With this in mind, as well as the questions over Masipa's ruling on intent, the state could yet decide to appeal the culpable verdict in pursuit of a murder conviction.
"We have many judgments which essentially say: 'If you point a firearm at someone and shoot, then you intend to kill them'," said Steve Tucson, a law professor at Johannesburg's Wit waters rand University.
Under South African law, an appeal cannot be launched until sentencing has been concluded.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Oscar Pistorius faces sentencing over girlfriend’s death
Dengan url
http://makananrasaenak.blogspot.com/2014/10/oscar-pistorius-faces-sentencing-over.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Oscar Pistorius faces sentencing over girlfriend’s death
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Oscar Pistorius faces sentencing over girlfriend’s death
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar