I must be dreaming, because I've just heard that Oscar Pistorius, the violent, gun loving, girlfriend killing, former South African Paralympic sprinter has been convicted of 'culpable homicide' and sentenced to just 5 YEARS jail time, with the likelihood of being freed after 10 months and carrying out the rest under 'correctional supervision' in the comfort of his own home.
Pistorius' ruthless chief defence lawyer, Barry Roux, seemed to suggest that his client had already paid the price for his actions, stating "he's not only broke, but he's broken" and "there is nothing left of this man". A slight exaggeration; he's alive, which is more than we can say for poor Reeva. He also argued that South African prisons can't cater for Pistorius' disability and he would be vulnerable. So now disabled people get preferential sentencing? Isn't this completely irrelevant to the crime? He was fit enough to murder...he is fit enough to rot in jail.
What's worse, is men like Simon Jenkins have accused the sentence of being harsh, with laughable statements such as "his life is ruined" and "imprisonment is a brutalist response" injected throughout his article for The Guardian. He murdered his girlfriend in cold blood, shooting her not once, but four times with a 9mm pistol, 'mistaking her for a burglar'. An easy mistake to make, right? Of course he shouldn't go to jail...
You only have to type Pistorius' name into google to be faced with endless articles sighting his fate:
'Pistorius is in danger'
'Pistorius could be held in prison in high security wing'
'Pistorius is engaging in self harming because he feels isolated and lonely'
...and my personal favourite...'There's no way back for him in sport until 2019'.
Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realise that his career was threatened. That he might not be able to compete anymore as his fitness levels may not be up to scratch when he hits the big three zero. Never mind the fact that he killed the supposed 'love of his life'. No-one deserves this punishment. Pray for Pistorius.
No.
It's utterly disgusting.
Regardless of this case being rather close to home, I know I'm certainly not alone in my view of the ludicrous verdict. It proves we have a long way to go to kick domestic violence to the curb once and for all. The sentences are simply not harsh enough. I seriously question what the world is coming to...ISIS, Ebola, Ukraine...and now yet another sick celebrity quite literally gets away with murder (I'll never understand how Chris Brown is back to selling No.1's in the charts!). And get this...in July of this year, a South African poacher was sentenced to 77 years for killing a rhino.
Well if that's the case, I'd rather be a wrinkly grey animal than a woman at this point in society.
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