The sentencing hearing of Oscar Pistorius has heard that the South African athlete has no money left, as both sides’ final arguments were made.
Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide last month after shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last year, but was cleared of murder.
Judge Thokozile Masipa is expected to deliver the sentence on Tuesday.
Pistorius faces up to 15 years in jail. The prosecution said the minimum sentence it required was 10 years.
Pistorius’ defence team has argued for him to be given community service and house arrest, a suggestion the prosecution said would be “shockingly disproportionate”.
Both defence and prosecution lawyers finished presenting their final arguments before the court was adjourned.
The high-profile trial, which has captured public attention in South Africa and beyond, began in March.
‘Broke and broken’
Pistorius sobbed as defence lawyer Barry Roux said that the athlete no longer had any money after the trial, which has lasted more than seven months.
“He is not only broke but he is broken,” he said.
“He’s a first offender. What has happened to this man? He was on the rise,” Mr Roux added.
The lawyer asked Judge Masipa to consider the South African principle of “ubuntu”, roughly translated as kindness towards others, in her sentencing.
He also claimed that Pistorius would be unsafe in prison, a claim denied by the prisons chief on Thursday.
On Friday, Prosecutor Gerrie Nel again criticised the offers of money by Pistorius to the Steenkamp family.
“I cannot but think this is an attempt to influence,” he said.
Reeva Steenkamp’s family rejected a large lump sum offered by Pistorius.
However, they did accept smaller monthly support payments. They have since promised to repay the cash and not pursue a civil case.
Mr Nel went on to criticise the use of Pistorius’ disability in arguments for a shorter sentence.
“I find it disturbing that a person who fought to compete with able-bodied athletes now shamelessly uses disability in mitigation,” he said.
The Paralympic sprinter denied murdering Ms Steenkamp after a row on Valentine’s Day last year, saying he shot her by mistake, fearing there was an intruder in the house.
Ms Steenkamp, a model, reality TV star and law graduate, was hit three times by bullets shot through a toilet door by Pistorius at his home in the capital, Pretoria.
Source: BBC