The athlete could be released on parole in three years, but there could be an appeal against the sentence for being too lenient.
14:26, UK,Wednesday 06 July 2016
Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to six years in prison for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at their home in 2013.
The disgraced Paralympian could have faced a life sentence after the Supreme Court of Appeal overturned his manslaughter conviction and found him guilty of murder.
However, his sentence is considerably less than the minimum jail term of 15 years for murder under South African law.
The 29-year-old's lawyer, Barry Roux, was seen punching the air as the announcement was made - and the defence has confirmed they will not be appealing the sentence.
Pistorius could be eligible for parole in three years, and he is expected to return to prison immediately.
He seemed emotionless throughout the lengthy sentencing, and at one point appeared to close his eyes as he listened to the verdict.
Before the hearing began, Pistorius was seen hugging his legal team and appeared calm as he sat in the dock and checked his mobile phone.
The last person he embraced before being taken down to the cells was his sister Aimee, who was in tears.
Judge Thozokile Masipa told the packed courtroom in Pretoria that she felt the mitigating circumstances in the case outweighed the aggravating factors - and described Pistorius as a "fallen hero".
She said the fact that the double amputee had tried to save Ms Steenkamp's life following the shooting played a factor in her sentencing, as did his repeated and unsuccessful attempts to apologise to her family.
However, the judge said she gave "very little weight" to the testimony given by Dr Jonathan Scholtz, a psychiatrist who testified for the defence on Pistorius's state of mind, as much of his evidence was "unsupported by anything concrete".
It is possible that the prosecution will appeal on the grounds that the sentence is too lenient.
Sky's Special Correspondent, Alex Crawford, said the initial reaction of Reeva Steenkamp's family was that Judge Masipa's sentence was "fair".
However she adds that legal experts say it is possible Pistorius could be released after just one year and move to house arrest.
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