Judge Thokozile Masipa found that the mitigating factors outweighed the aggravating factors.
Mitigating factors are that Pistorius genuinely thought that there was an intruder in his home and armed himself with a gun while aggravating factors are that he armed himself with a high calibre bullet which he fired through a door knowing there’s a person in there that could not escape.
Although Judge Masipa has taken into consideration the high profiles of both Steenkamp and Pistorius as well as the public opinion that comes with it, she made it clear that this did not influence her judgment.
“Public opinion may be loud and persistent but can play no role in decision of court. Courts are courts of law and not of public opinion,” she said.
She said that it must be noted that Pistorius is a good candidate for rehabilitation and that he has already spent 12 months in prison.
Judge Thokozile Masipa in the High Court in Pretoria said he was not likely to reoffend.
Pistorius killed Steenkamp on February 14 2013.
He was released into correctional supervision last year after spending close to one year in prison for his previous sentence of five years for culpable homicide‚ which was changed to murder on appeal.
