PRETORIA, South Africa - Oscar Pistorius was taken away in a police van with barred windows Tuesday to start serving a five-year prison sentence for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
[b]Discount Nike Shoes China[/b] .Delivering her sentence, Judge Thokozile Masipa cited the gross negligence the double-amputee Olympic runner showed when he shot Steenkamp multiple times through a toilet cubicle door in his home.Pistorius, who cried and retched during his murder trial, was unemotional as he stood to hear his sentence. His prison term begins immediately and he was led by police down a flight of stairs to holding cells before leaving the courthouse in the armoured vehicle.The world-famous runner later arrived at the nearby Kgosi Mampuru II prison in the South African capital, a facility that has had problems with violence and overcrowding and where during the years of apartheid death row inmates were executed before capital punishment was outlawed with the advent of democracy. Despite the prisons reported problems, authorities have said Pistorius would be held away from the general prison population because of his disability and high profile — possibly in a hospital wing or a high-security section.Pistorius could be released after 10 months to serve the remainder under house arrest, according to legal experts. Masipa last month convicted Pistorius of culpable homicide, or negligent killing, but acquitted him of murder after he testified he mistook Steenkamp for a nighttime intruder.Steenkamps parents were in court to hear the sentence and the dead models mother, June, said justice had been done. A close friend of Steenkamp, Gina Myers, said: I really dont think any of us will heal anytime soon ... there will always be questions.Pistorius uncle, Arnold Pistorius, appealed to reporters to give the family privacy after what he called 20 months of relentless public trial. He criticized prosecutors for pursuing a premeditated murder charge against Pistorius, and said they decided to inflict as much collateral damage as they could. He said Pistorius family accepted the sentence.Oscar will embrace this opportunity to pay back to society, Arnold Pistorius said.Judge Masipa earlier described the sentencing as a balancing act between retribution and clemency.I am of the view that a non-custodial sentence would send a wrong message to the community, Masipa said, taking just over an hour to summarize parts of the case and explain why she reached her decision. On the other hand, a long sentence would not be appropriate either as it would lack the element of mercy.Masipa asked Pistorius to stand as she delivered the sentence, and he faced her with his hands clasped in front of him. Pistorius was then led away, stopping briefly to grip the hands of his uncle and other family members as he headed to prison.Prosecutors said they are considering whether to appeal the sentence, where Pistorius, 27, could serve less than a year in jail for killing his 29-year-old girlfriend. They have 14 days to apply for permission to appeal.Nathi Mncube, the prosecution spokesman, said his office was disappointed in the culpable homicide conviction and had not yet decided whether to appeal. He said that there was an appetite to appeal but prosecutors would review their options.We are satisfied with the fact that he will be serving some time in prison, Mncube said.Masipa had a wide range of options available to her because South Africa does not have a minimum sentence for culpable homicide, which is comparable to manslaughter. Pistorius, a once-inspiring athlete, known as the Blade Runner because he competed on carbon-fiber blades, was the first amputee to run at the Olympics in 2012. He had faced up to 15 years in jail. He also could have received a completely suspended sentence or house arrest.The sentence raised questions over if Pistorius, a multiple Paralympic champion, would ever return to the career that made him famous. The International Paralympic Committee said he would not be eligible to run during his five-year sentence, ruling him out of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics.Pistorius must serve one-sixth of his sentence in prison — 10 months — before he is eligible to be moved to house arrest, said Marius du Toit, a legal analyst and criminal defence lawyer.Its an appropriate sentence, du Toit said.As Pistorius left in the police van, a crowd gathered around the vehicle, with some whistling, shouting and banging on the caged windows.___Imray reported from Stellenbosch, South Africa. AP writer Lynsey Chutel contributed to this report from Johannesburg.
[b]Adidas Ultra Boost Wholesale China[/b] .Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have been neck and neck all season, with 17 points separating the rivals and double points on offer for the race.Tensions between them have spilled over during the campaign and the pairs fragile relationship was evident during Thursdays pre-race news conference, when Rosberg goaded Hamilton by advising him to race cleanly.
[b]Nike Shox Outlet Sale[/b] . -- J.R. Sweezy was the one part of the Seattle Seahawks offensive line that had avoided injuries or having to change positions this season.WACO, Texas -- Turn out the lights, the fiesta is just getting started for No. 9 Baylor. These Bears are headed to a BCS game as the Big 12 champion, making a reality out of the goal that seemed so far out of reach when Art Briles became their coach six years ago. "Thats what hit me," quarterback Bryce Petty said. "This is where it is, this is where that vision was." In what became a de facto Big 12 championship game after Oklahoma States loss, Petty threw for 287 yards with touchdown passes on the first drives after halftime and the Bears beat No. 23 Texas 30-10 on Saturday in the final game at Floyd Casey Stadium after 64 seasons. "Its a defining moment for our program," Briles said, adding he hopes they can repeat it multiple times. "We always believed with him," big offensive guard Cyril Richardson said. "We werent going to disappoint him." The Bears (11-1, 8-1 Big 12), who never even had a winning record in the Big 12 before Briles arrived, have the first 11-win season in school history and are headed to the Fiesta Bowl. That is the reward for their first outright title in any league since winning the Southwest Conference on 1980 when Mike Singletary called Floyd Casey Stadium home. Antwan Goodley made a nifty one-handed grab on a slant pass for an 11-yard TD, one play after Petty overthrew his wide-open tight end at the goal line. After Texas (8-4, 7-2) went three-and-out, Lache Seastrunk had three consecutive runs for 28 yards and Glasco Martin ran 10 yards to help set up Pettys 6-yard TD pass to Levi Norwood and a 17-3 lead. Texas coach Mack Brown made joking references all week about being the only coach in America playing for a conference championship while also shrugging off speculation that he could be replaced. Well, the intense speculation about Browns future is certain to increase now. The regular season is over for the Longhorns without a Big 12 title after losing two of three games -- just like the year started before a six-game winning streak. "Im disappointed in the loss, obviously," said Brown, who didnt want to talk about his future. " I told them they played hard enough, played tough enough, but we didnt make the plays we needed to make. " Norwood came to the postgame interview wearing a cap that read "RIIP Floyd Casey," and said it was hard to put into words what the final game in the stadium and the Big 12 championship meant.
[b]Cheap Air Max 97 Wholesale[/b]. Ahmad Dixon, the senior safety who grew up in Waco, placed in front of the podium a sign declaring the Bears Big 12 champion. He then told everyone to hold their questions, then reached down and pulled out two bags of Tostitos, the sponsor of the Fiesta Bowl. "What does this mean to me?" Dixon said repeating a question, hold up the sign as an answer. "Thats about is. ... It was all just a dream, and that dream just became a reality." Petty finished 21 of 37, with Goodley catching eight of those for 114 yards. Martin rushed for 102 yards with 18-yard TD run in the fourth quarter, one play after officials wiped out K.J. Mortons touchdown on a 60-yard interception return when he was penalized for celebrating before getting into the end zone. Malcolm Brown ran 25 times for 131 yards for the Longhorns. Case McCoy completed only 12 of 34 passes for 54 yards, two interceptions and a touchdown. The score was a 2-yarder to Brown while scrambling on fourth down after the Longhorns took a field goal off the board after a Baylor penalty on the made kick. About the same time the coin toss was happening at midfield in Waco, No. 18 Oklahoma was wrapping up its 33-24 over No. 6 Oklahoma State (10-2, 7-2), which with convincing victories over both Baylor and Texas last month was in the position to win the Big 12s guaranteed BCS berth. Before moving next year into a new $260 million stadium on campus, along busy Interstate 35 and the Brazos River, Baylor had a memorable finish in the final game after 64 seasons at Floyd Casey. Fans in black, green or gold didnt even seem to mind the bitter cold -- the temperature was 24 degrees at kickoff with the wind chill making it feel much colder. And most stayed around to share in the celebration and a stadium closing ceremony, chanting "Big 12 champs!" and "BCS!" That ceremony ended with representatives from different eras in Baylor history turning over one of the eight light standards in the stadium. The last was Briles. "It was emotional for everybody," Norwood said. "Everybody knew it was there, whether it was outright or a share. We wanted to be Big 12 champs." ' ' '
Find in Directory
Find in Events
Find in Marketplace