Take him down: Oscar Pistorius is jailed for FIVE YEARS for killing lover Reeva Steenkamp - but he could be out in just TEN MONTHS
Taken down: Oscar Pistorius says his final goodbyes to his family as he is escorted to the holding cells at the high court in Pretoria after being sentenced to five years in prison for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
Oscar Pistorius was dramatically jailed for five years today for killing his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp - but could spend as little as ten months behind bars.
The disgraced Paralympian wiped his eyes as he was handed a five-year prison term after the judge ruled that a non-custodial sentence would send the 'wrong message to the community'.
As he was led down to the cells, Miss Steenkamp's mother, June, smiled as she told of a sense of 'closure' after a seventh-month trial, but said it 'would not magic Reeva back.'
The model's ailing father, who suffered a stroke after his daughter's death, said he was 'very glad' the trial was over. A lawyer for the family said the sentence was 'welcome'.
The runner's sister Aimee briefly covered her head with a jacket and looked distressed. His family said he would not appeal the sentence.
Led away: Pistorius could spend only ten months in jail and, provided he poses no trouble to the prison authorities, could spend the remainder of his sentence under correctional supervision at home
Pistorius was later driven away from court in a prison van to the gang-ridden Pretoria Central Prison, where one criminal kingpin has already threatened to 'take him out'.
The athlete was found guilty of culpable homicide, but was acquitted of murder after shooting Miss Steenkamp four times through a toilet cubicle door at his home last year.
According to legal observers, Pistorius could spend only ten months in jail and, provided he poses no trouble to the prison authorities, could spend the remainder of his sentence under correctional supervision at home.
According to the Act under which Pistorius was sentenced, he must spend at least one-sixth of his sentence before he can apply for leave to serve the rest under 'correctional supervision'.
The athlete appeared to have prepared himself to spend some time behind bars, while his uncle Arnold Pistorius, the head of the large family, said there would be no appeal against the sentence.
National Prosecuting Authority, who have two weeks to decide whether to appeal against verdict or sentence, suggested they would be content to draw a line under the matter.
'We have stated that we were disappointed with the judgment but we take solace in fact that Pistorius will serve time in jail.'
After a summary of the evidence in the case and related legal issues, judge Thozile Masipa said: 'Having regard to the circumstances of the matter, I am of the view that a non-custodial sentence would send the wrong message to the community.
'On the other hand, a long sentence would also not be appropriate either as it would lack the element of mercy.'
The court heard her parents June and Barry in particular were 'not coping very well without their daughter'.
Judge Masipa said: 'The loss of life cannot be reversed. Nothing I say or do today can reverse what happened on February 14 2013 to the deceased and to her family.
'Hopefully, this judgment on sentence shall provide some sort of closure for the family and all concerned so that they can move on with their lives.'
Judge Masipa also sentenced Pistorius to three years in prison for unlawfully firing a gun in a restaurant in a separate incident weeks before Miss Steenkamp's death.
She ordered that sentence to be wholly suspended.
After Pistorius was asked to stand by Judge Masipa, he quickly removed his designer watch from his wrist and held it behind his back as she told him he was going to jail.
He passed the watch to his uncle as he descended into the bowels of the court to the holding cells.
Pistorius had every reason to not want to take the timepiece into the notorious prison.
During his murder trial the court had heard how a watch worth £6,000 had been stolen from a display case holding eight designer watches in the athlete’s bedroom, even as crime scene officers were gathering blood spatter and other forensic evidence nearby.
The theft prompted every officer at the scene to be frisked and have their bags and vehicles to be searched when they left Pistorius’ property. The watch was never recovered.
Aimee Pistorius sent down a mobile phone and wash bag to the cells where her brother was allowed to make final calls before leaving for jail.
While his uncle Arnold used a press conference to lambast prosecutors for ever charging him with premeditated murder, Pistorius was driven to jail in an armoured police van, with tactical response guards hanging on.
He arrived at Pretoria Central prison, a little over a mile from the court, within minutes, driven in through a side entrance.
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