Jail Pistorius, Reeva's cousin tells court

OSCAR Pistorius should be sent to jail for killing Reeva Steenkamp, the model's cousin has told a court, and says a milder sentence will be insufficient as the athlete "needs to pay for what he has done".

TESTIFYING for the prosecution on the fourth day of the athlete's sentencing hearing in Pretoria, Kim Martin said Pistorius' previous apology in court didn't seem genuine.
"My family are not seeking revenge," but a sentence of house arrest and community service would not "fit the crime", Martin said, referring to suggestions by two experts testifying for the defence. Moleko Modise, the acting national commissioner of correctional services, rejected allegations that conditions were inadequate for the double-amputee athlete and also that he could be exposed to violence and rape in prison. South Africa had the best prison conditions on the continent, Modise told the court on Thursday, adding that prisons were prepared to deal with disabled inmates. Pistorius would get his own cell with a cupboard, pillow, blanket, access to a bath or shower, to activities such as crafts or gardening, and to health care and counselling, Modise said. But defence lawyer Barry Roux maintained there had been allegations of gangs and torture in the country's prisons. Pistorius shot Steenkamp, 29, through a toilet door at his Pretoria home on February 14, 2013. On September 12, judge Thokozile Masipa found the 27-year-old guilty of manslaughter, accepting his version that he took her for a burglar. The judge said Pistorius didn't mean to kill anyone, but acted negligently and unreasonably, knowing there was someone in the toilet with little room for manoeuvre when he fired. Masipa has informed the court that she will be busy with other work for the next four weeks, which means the hearing could only conclude in November.