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PRETORIA, July 6 (Xinhua) -- South African Judge Thokozile Masipa on Wednesday handed down a six-year sentence to Oscar Pistorius for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, saying the paralympian showed remorse for his act.
Masipa said Pistorius had shown remorse by trying to meet the family of Steenkamp to apologize.
The judge said the minimum prescribed sentence for the case was 15 years, but there were mitigating factors in the case.
The judge said the mitigating factors were that Pistorius walks on his prosthesis and felt vulnerable on the night of the incident, believed there was intruder in the house and he tried to correct the mistake after realizing it.
Masipa, however, stated that she also considered the aggravating factors which are the fact that Pistorius used the high calibre rifle while knowing there was someone inside the toilet and was trained in the use of firearms.
Pistorius can be rehabilitated if he has the right attitude, she added.
The Paralympic sprinter was convicted of murdering Steenkamp at his home in Pretoria on Feb. 14, 2013. Pistorius insisted in trial that he mistook her as an intruder and his life was in danger when he fired at the door of the bathroom.
