Oscar Pistorius returns to court as sentencing starts

SOUTH African athlete Oscar Pistorius has returned to court for sentencing after being convicted of killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

Pistorius was found guilty of the culpable homicide of Ms Steenkamp last month but he was cleared of murder.

His psychologist was the first defence witness to speak at the sentencing hearing, which could last several days.

Pistorius faces up to 15 years in jail, although Judge Thokozile Masipa may suspend the sentence or impose a fine.

She said the athlete had acted "negligently" when he shot his girlfriend through a toilet door, but in the "belief that there was an intruder".

The Paralympic sprinter had strenuously denied murdering Ms Steenkamp after a row on Valentine's Day last year, saying he shot her by mistake.

Ms Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model and law graduate, was hit three times by bullets shot through a toilet door by Pistorius at his home in the capital, Pretoria.

Pistorius' personal psychologist Lore Hartzenberg told the courtroom on Monday that Pistorius was "very emotional" during grief therapy sessions, which were often disrupted by his weeping and crying.

She said the athlete felt "vilified and humiliated" by the media and social media networks, making him feel "utterly worthless".

Judge Masipa is to hear legal arguments and testimony from a number of witnesses before passing sentence.

There is a very real chance - backed up by precedent - that Pistorius could be given no jail time at all.

The judge could argue that he is a first-time offender who has shown genuine remorse. But given his criminal misuse of a firearm, what sort of message would that send to the public?

And - this is unanswerable, I suppose - would it even be in his own best interests to serve no prison time?

Would the public here and abroad welcome him back into society, and what sort of stress would he find himself under?

Having given Pistorius the benefit of the doubt in reaching her verdict - and taken plenty of flak for it - Judge Masipa may choose to lean the other way in sentencing.