Pistorius walks on stumps to show court his disability

Oscar Pistorius has removed his prosthetic limbs and hobbled around the courtroom at his sentencing hearing in South Africa.

The former Olympic athlete was on his stumps when he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a door at his home in 2013, and his defence made much of his vulnerability.

The hearing in Pretoria was called after a court convicted him of murder, overturning a manslaughter verdict.

Pistorius will be sentenced on 6 July.

The six-time Paralympic gold medallist, whose legs were amputated below the knee as a baby, made history by becoming the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics in 2012, running on prosthetic “blades”.

Judge Thokozile Masipa also has granted permission for the crime scene photos to be made public – a request made by Ms Steenkamp’s father, who gave emotional testimony on Tuesday, saying Pistorius should pay for killing his daughter.

On Wednesday, the Pretoria High court heard testimony from Ms Steenkamp’s cousin Kim Martin, who said the victim had not loved Pistorius though she had been fond of him.

The athlete’s defence team had argued that he mistook Ms Steenkamp for an intruder.

The double amputee faces a jail term of 15 years but it may be reduced due to time already spent in prison and mitigating factors.

 

 

RipplesNigeria …without borders, without fears

 

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now