{"id":56997,"date":"2014-10-16T13:32:55","date_gmt":"2014-10-16T13:32:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=56997"},"modified":"2014-10-16T13:32:55","modified_gmt":"2014-10-16T13:32:55","slug":"pistorius-needs-to-pay-for-actions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2014\/10\/pistorius-needs-to-pay-for-actions\/","title":{"rendered":"Pistorius ‘needs to pay’ for actions"},"content":{"rendered":"
South African athlete Oscar Pistorius should be given “sufficient punishment” for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, her cousin has told the sentencing hearing in Pretoria.<\/p>\n
Kim Martin said Pistorius, 27, “needs to pay for what he has done”.<\/p>\n
He was convicted of culpable homicide last month but cleared of murder and faces up to 15 years in jail, but the judge may suspend it or impose a fine.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”TEck6sjkFfEp48dn5KfYmFV1r1RJMYNn”]Judge Thokozile Masipa later adjourned the court hearing until Friday morning.<\/p>\n
The defence has argued that Pistorius should serve house arrest and community service for the killing – a suggestion branded as “shockingly inappropriate” by prosecutor Gerrie Nel.<\/p>\n
The prosecution insists that Pistorius should go to jail, saying his negligent actions have left a “broken family”.<\/p>\n
Correspondents say that because of delays the sentence is unlikely to be announced until next month.<\/p>\n
‘Not seeking revenge’Ms Martin – the prosecution’s first sentencing witness – said on Thursday that she was fearful of Pistorius.<\/p>\n
“My family are not people who are seeking revenge, we just feel that to shoot somebody behind a door that is unarmed, that is harmless, needs sufficient punishment,” she said.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, Ms Martin recounted her pain at hearing that the 29-year-old South African model had been shot dead, saying her death was “the end of the world”.<\/p>\n