Barry Roux, Oscar Pistorius’ defence lawyer, on Wednesday argued that there was not sufficient evidence to jail him for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp.
He told the court in Pretoria during the third day of resentencing proceedings that he had already paid heavily for killing his girlfriend.
Pistorius had already paid heavily for killing Steenkamp, Roux stressed.
“He lost his future with his loved one.
“The accused has paid physically, losing his psychological health, financially, emotionally, socially, he is vilified. He is a broken man,’’ he said.
Roux said that Pistorius is punishing himself for the rest of his life far more than any court can punish him.
However, to stress his point, he made Pistorius, who seemed to be on the verge of tears, take off his prostheses in court and walk on his stumps.
The Pistorius’ manslaughter conviction was overturned by an appeals court, which found him guilty of murder.
With the ongoing proceeding Judge Thokozile Masipa would now review the five-year prison sentence she handed the athlete for culpable homicide, the South African term for manslaughter.
Roux argued that even though the murder carried a minimum sentence of 15 years in South Africa, but “substantial and compelling circumstances” would allow for deviations from the discretionary sentence.
He said Pistorius had successfully completed anger management programmes that imprisonment was difficult for disabled people, saying that the athlete felt community service could put him “back into society.”
Kim Martin, Reeva Steenkamp’s cousin also testified about the pain her death had caused the family.
“The scars, the effects run very deep, but I’m the mother of three children, I have to be strong for them” she said.
Reeva’s father Barry Steenkamp on Tuesday gave an emotional testimony, describing how his daughter’s death had devastated his physical and psychological health, saying that Pistorius must pay for what he had done.
Jonathan Scholtz, Psychology Expert, had earlier argued that the athlete should not be jailed, because his risk of reoffending was low.
He said that he should rather be hospitalised for post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety.
After serving one year in prison, Pistorius was released into house arrest at his uncle’s Pretoria mansion in October 2015.
The Supreme Court of Appeal overturned Masipa’s manslaughter verdict in December, arguing Pistorius must have known his shots could kill someone.
The resentencing proceedings were expected to run until Friday.
Dubbed Blade Runner, Pistorius soared to international fame after becoming the first amputee to compete against able-bodied athletes in the 2012 Olympic Games.
Pistorius’ lower legs were amputated due to a congenital defect when he was less than one year old. (dpa/NAN)