Oscar Pistorius sentenced to 13 years in jail, SA responds

oscar pistorius 2012

Judge Willie Seriti announced today that a unanimous judgment by the Supreme Court of Appeal will see Oscar Pistorius’ six year jail sentence replaced with 13 years and 5 months.

The judgment overturned that of Judge Thokozile Masipa, who failed to put forward substantial reasons for her initial lenient sentencing, Prosecutor Andrea Johnson told the court this month.

Pistorius was found guilty of murder when he shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013. The case sent the nation reeling, and the ensuing trials, convictions, and sentences left many South Africans angry and confused.

This latest sentence has brought at least some relief.

Despite the supposed justice of Friday’s sentence, the trials have dampened South African’s faith in the courts. Both the issue of the time it took to reach this decision and the court’s inconsistency were brought into question.

Some didn’t think the sentence was long enough.

And some just wanted to make jokes about Black Friday.

Feature image: Jim Thurston via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0, resized)

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