South African Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius faces at least 15 years in jail for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The athlete has no legal right to appeal the sentence.
Image: Reuters/A. Skuy
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The original judge in the case, Thokozile Masipa was set to begin hearing the pre-sentencing arguments at Pretoria High Court on Monday.
The athlete, who will discover his fate by the end of this week, faces a minimum 15-year jail sentence and cannot appeal. South Africa's top court ruled in March that he had exhausted all his legal options.
Manslaughter
The second sentencing is the latest chapter in Pistorius' three-year legal saga. The 29-year-old was initially convicted in 2014 for shooting his girlfriend Steenkamp through a closed toilet door in his home in the early hour of Valentine's Day in February 2013.
Pistorius testified that he mistook the model for an intruder hiding in a bathroom, arguing that he shot through the door four times with his 9mm pistol out of fear of an attack. The trial judge accepted part of Pistorius' story, ruling that the athlete had acted recklessly, but didn't intend to kill. He was sentenced to five years in prison.
After serving a year in jail, Pistorius was released on parole in line with South African procedure and has been living under house arrest at his uncle's mansion since October 2015.
Prosecutors appealed Pistorius' manslaughter verdict, however, insisting that he should have been found guilty of murder. They argued that Pistorius intended to kill, even if he didn't know it was his girlfriend in the bathroom.
During this week's hearing, the athlete's legal team is expected to call witnesses who will argue that Masipa should be lenient due to Pistorius' mental fragility, physical disability and good behavior during almost a year behind bars for the original manslaughter conviction.
State prosecutor Gerrie Nel will also cross-examine and call his own witnesses as he seeks to convince the judge that Pistorius is not remorseful, which is a key consideration in sentencing. Nel is also expected to argue that a lengthy jail term is in the interest of South African justice.
The jail cell occupied by Pistorius before his release on paroleImage: Reuters/S. Seshibedi
Leniency in 'special circumstances'
The minimum sentence for murder in South Africa is 15 years. In special circumstances, however, a judge can reduce that sentence. Pistorius' disability and the fact he is a first-time offender could therefore be taken into consideration. He has also already served a year in prison.
Whatever the outcome of this week's sentencing, Pistorius looks set to be begin his new prison sentence just as the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics get underway in Brazil, where he intended to end his acclaimed track career.
The rise and fall of Oscar Pistorius
Oscar Pistorius has now been sentenced to five years in jail for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. DW looks at the defining moments in Oscar Pistorius' successful, and at times controversial, sporting career.
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The trial
In 2014, former Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius was sentenced to five years imprisonment for 'culpable homicide' for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The following December, that verdict was upgraded to murder - a decision Pistorius is bidding to overturn. The tragedy and ensuing court cases have blotted a unique, and at times controversial, athletic career.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
First strides in Athens
At the tender age of 17, Oscar Pistorius exploded on to the track scene. He broke the world record in men's 200 meters at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, adding to an earlier bronze medal at the same meet. It was the first major milestone in his career. Pistorius was born with the disease fibular hemimelia, and at the age of 11 months was amputated halfway between his knees and ankles.
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An unfair advantage?
His success, however, was followed by debate on whether Pistorius had an extra advantage with his prosthetic J-shape limbs. Researchers found out that the prosthetics required "25 percent less energy" to move than normal legs. After initially being stopped from competing at the 2008 Olympics, Pistorius successfully had his appeal upheld at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Image: Reuters
Success in Beijing
At the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing in China, Pistorius walked away with three gold medals in the 100, 200 and 400 meters finals on the track. He had been hoping to reach the Olympics - a constant target in his mind throughout his career - but he fell short of qualifying.
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A step towards the main goal
Pistorius got a step closer to his career-long dream at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea when he was finally able to race able-bodied athletes. He was included in the South African 4x400m relay team, running the opening leg in the semifinal. However, he was dropped for the final - where the South Africans won silver - because of his slow pace in the semis.
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Pistorius lives olympic dream
Pistorius was named in South Africa's team to participate in the 2012 London Olympic Games. He was the first double-leg amputee runner to compete in an able-bodied sport at the Olympics, but was not able to get to the final. His South African team also didn't get a medal in the relay, but Pistorius was given the honor of carrying the country's flag at the closing ceremony.
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Paralympic dominance in London
Just weeks later Pistorius graced the Olympic Stadium in London again, at the Paralympics, leading the South African team in at the opening ceremony. He established another world record in the 200 meter heats, but then lost in the final. He still left with two more gold medals at the end of the event though after winning in the 400meters sprint and the 4x100m relay.
