Oscar Pistorius in court for murder sentencing

TIL Desk Sports/ South Africa’s Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius appeared in court today for a sentencing hearing set to send him back to jail for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp three years ago. The double-amputee killed Steenkamp, a model and law graduate, in the early hours of Valentine’s Day in 2013, saying he mistook her for an intruder when he fired four times through the door of his bedroom toilet.

Wearing a dark suit, white shirt and black tie, Pistorius attended the hearing along with members of his family. A lawyer close to the case said the sentencing could take place on Friday. Steenkamp’s relatives, including mother and father, were also present as proceedings opened in the High Court in Pretoria.

In March, Pistorius’s lawyers failed in their legal bid to reverse a Supreme Court of Appeal judgement that upgraded his original conviction from culpable homicide — the equivalent of manslaughter — to murder. The original trial judge Thokozile Masipa is expected to pass a new sentence after hearing arguments from both prosecution and defence.

The prosecution will be pushing for a tougher penalty. The 29-year-old “Blade Runner” faces a minimum 15-year jail term for murder, but his sentence could be reduced due to time already spent in prison and mitigating factors, including his disability. Legal experts say Pistorius could take the stand to express remorse. “Contriteness is a very important sentencing factor. If someone apologises and shows remorse, that is a strong mitigation factor,” said criminal law expert Martin Hood.