So by this reasoning every murderer, child molester, kiddy porn maker and user etc shouldn't be handed down a custodial sentence? Everyone who's caught has their life ruined... because they're caught, not because they can't live with the consequences of not only taking /fucking up peoples lives, but also the lives of their families and friends.
When did I say that? I said that I thought 5 years was reasonable in the circs (before I knew it would translate to 10 months). That locking him up for decades would achieve nothing. Murderers and co should get life, as would Pistorius had it been proven that he deliberately shot his girlfriend. I don't think it's reasonable to really second guess the trial. It went on for months and I wasn't there, so I assume that the judge is more likely to have the correct verdict rather than people who have had a few soundbites in the media. Sure, I suspected he knew his girlfriend was behind the door, but on reflection, you'd have to be pretty deranged to actually murder your girlfriend, deliberately. After all, if he didn't like her, he could just have told her to leave - he wasn't married to her. So he fired a gun with a good chance of killing whoever was behind the door. But actually killing his gf was accidental. It would appear that in RSA, life is a good deal cheaper than it is in Europe.
I wouldn't debate the 10 month thing as it laughable, however 5 years for murder? I do think that there is a screw loose and 20 years wouldn't be enough. And to concede that he probably knew his girlfriend was there and still shot her... thats murder, not manslaughter. Re letting her go, I firmly believe that he was under the impression that his money and celebrity would get him off, and as it transpired he was right.
This case has generated a lot of emotion but remember, the Judge can only reach her decision regarding the extent of his guilt and the sentence he can be given based on law. Now, my wife being a lawyer, will say the law can be interpreted in more ways than one and case law, used by the Judge, to reach her verdict and sentence can also be interpreted in more ways than one because seldom two cases have exactly the same circumstances. Regardless of the feelings this case has generated, the Judge who is far more experienced and is far better placed than anyone on this forum to decide on matters in this case has made her decision. The law will take its course and it's now up the prosecution to decide whether they feel they have sufficient grounds, based on the decision of the Judge, to appeal. Their decision will not be based on emotion or public sentiment or pressure from the press but on the cold hard legal facts of the case. As Voltaire said "I may not agree with what you say but I defend with my life the right for you to say it." So, it is the case on this forum, everyone is entitled to an opinion but all should ask themselves, I am really best placed to say what jail term should be given to Oscar ? I am in possession of all the facts ? Taking emotion out of it, does the judge have to make her decisions based on fact ? Does she have to make her decision based on the law of the land ?
You don't get all the facts by following the tabloids !! Everyone has there own opinion!! But going by previous things that have came out and friends covering up for him !! The key should of been thrown away, if u thought u were being burgled the first thing I would expect anyone to do would be to check where there lived ones were !!
My post was probably ambiguous. What I meant was, from initial reports I suspected that he had killed his girlfriend deliberately. Upon reflection, I don't think so. I believe his story that killing her was an accident. What seems obvious though, was that he tried to kill whoever he thought was behind the door, even if he didn't think it was his girlfriend. For that he deserves the verdict of culpable homicide and for that the 5 years (were it to be 5 years, or something approximating to it) seemed reasonable, given the fact that his incarceration will change nothing. If he gets out after 10 months, that seems excessively lenient, given that you shouldn't just be killing anyone if you perceive some sort of threat that hasn't even materialised yet. But I also think that the judge was far better placed to make a call than me, seeing as I didn't attend the trial. I also think that South Africans will have a different view of violence and what you should do about it than we in Europe where violence (or extreme violence) is not something we have to contend with in our daily lives.
Before moving to my safe little alpine haven I spent seven years in Cape Town and have experience (via a former colleague) of the South African penal system. Like others here, I don't have sufficient grasp of the facts to ascertain what Pistorius is or is not guilty of. What I do know though is that a South African prison is a very, very harsh environment and whatever time is subsequently served, it's going to be a life altering experience and Pistorius will emerge a very different character than the one we see in the media of today.
He should spend years behind bars. Do the public etc al get anything from it, feel safer etc? No but doesnt mean he shouldnt be dealt with as anyone else would be
The sentence did seem extremely lenient, but then he was found guilty of culpable homicide and not murder. I listened to the woman from the South African Woman's League (?) who was very eloquent in her criticism of the sentence whereas the judge, in the pieces quoted on the radio, seemed to be defending the South African legal system and attempting to justify the lightness of the sentence.
That's the problem the pieces quoted Listen to the whole summing up not just what the media portray or take out of context like sky were doing while the judgment was being broadcast Alex was tweeting her version of what she was hearing which was different to what I heard
If I'm correct the judge has to base her decision on previous heard cases and base her decision on those plus the facts given or not given in court The cases she quoted were similar to the case in question though shooting 4 times through a locked door where the victim couldn't escape led to pistorious getting 5 years
