Pistorius given five years in jail

(ANSA) - Rome, October 21 - A South African judge on Tuesday sentenced Oscar Pistorius to five years in jail for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last year. Pistorius, an amputee sprinter who became the first athlete to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, had previously been convicted of culpable homicide but cleared of murder. The 27-year-old was also handed a three-year suspended sentence for a firearms charge on Tuesday. Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, was killed by bullets Pistorius fired through a toilet door. Pistorius said he shot her by mistake, fearing there was an intruder in his Pretoria home.