Oscar Pistorius begins jail sentence
Judge Thokozile Masipa sentenced Oscar Pistorius, the South African athlete who shot his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day of 2014, to five years in prison for culpable homicide. Pistorius, 27, was driven to Pretoria’s Kgosi Mampuru prison shortly following the sentencing.
Prosecutors had been calling for a 10-year term, while the defence argued back with calls for community service and house arrest. The parents of Steenkamp, 29, say that they are happy with the ruling.
Although Pistorius faces serving the full five years, the defence believes that the amputee sprinter could be released after serving a mere sixth of the sentence, with early release pending good behaviour.
Judge Masipa noted that while Pistorius has made an “enormous contribution to society … it would be a sad day for this country if an impression were to be created that there was one law for the poor and disadvantaged, and another for the rich and famous.”
The Women’s League of South Africa, however, is less than pleased.
“A five-year sentence like this sends a message to society that it is fine to commit such heinous crimes as femicide, and you will be able to get away with a slap on the wrist,” concluded spokeswoman Khsuela Sangoni.
Infant bodies found in Canadian storage locker
The bodies of four infants were found in a storage locker at a U-Haul storage facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba. An employee of the facility discovered the decomposed remains on Oct. 20.
Police investigators are speaking with “a number of individuals,” but the bodies have yet to be linked to infants previously reported missing, pending test on the unidentified remains.
It remains unclear how long the bodies were in the storage locker before their discovery.
Police spokesman Eric Hofley expressed that the discovery was “tragic beyond belief.” In conversation with the media on Oct. 21, Hofley remarked that in his 14 years as an officer, he had never experienced anything like this.