Oscar Pistorius begins jail sentence for Reeva Steenkamp death

He was driven to Pretoria's Kgosi Mampuru prison where he is expected to be housed in the hospital wing. Judge Thokozile Masipa gave Pistorius a five-year jail sentence for culpable homicide, but cleared him of murder. His defence said it expected him to serve about 10 months, with the remainder under house arrest. His family say he will not appeal. The parents of Reeva Steenkamp told the BBC they were happy with the sentence and relieved the case was over.  Prosecutors had called for a mum 10-year term, and the defence had argued for community service and house arrest

 

Pistorius, 27, an amputee sprinter who became the first athlete to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, killed Ms Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year. He says he shot her by mistake, fearing there was an intruder in his house in Pretoria. Ms Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, reality TV star and law graduate, was hit three times by bullets fired by Pistorius through a toilet door.

 

At the scene:

Andrew Harding, BBC News, Pretoria

Before he went down the stairs and out of court, Oscar Pistorius slipped off his expensive watch and handed it to a relative. It seems the athlete probably knew his sentence beforehand, which helps explains the subdued atmosphere in court today.

This case has revealed plenty about South Africa - its gun culture, the strengths and inadequacies of its police and prisons. But above all it has been a simple story, about the rise and fall of a global icon.

As the crowds and cameras drift away from the courthouse, what lingers is the sense of waste. Of lives and careers for sure. But of time too.  A man and a woman went into a bathroom. Only one came out alive. As the judge made clear - the trial should have been over in a matter of weeks. Instead it turned into a tortuous, overwrought epic.

 

Pistorius showed little reaction to the sentence other than to wipe his eyes before being led away to a holding cell downstairs. He was then driven away from court in an armoured police van to Pretoria's Kgosi Mampuru prison, where he was expected to undergo a medical assessment.

It is likely that he will be held in a one-man cell in the hospital wing, thought to be most appropriate for the athlete's disability.