Pistorius for the day

The BBC has an article about the latest whining about Oscar:

South African athlete Oscar Pistorius should not go to jail over the killing of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, his sentencing hearing has been told.
A probation officer appearing for the defense said Pistorius should serve house arrest and community service. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel described the suggestion as "shockingly inappropriate".
Pistorius was found guilty of the culpable homicide of Steenkamp last month, but was cleared of murder. The decision was criticized by the victim's family.
Pistorius faces up to fifteen 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 had genuinely thought her to be an intruder.

Analysis by Andrew Harding, BBC correspondent in Pretoria:

This was Oscar Pistorius' big chance to convince Judge Thokozile Masipa that he does not deserve to spend a day in prison for killing Reeva Steenkamp.
It seemed to go reasonably well for the defense. The athlete's first witness was trauma counsellor Lore Hartzenberg, who strongly implied that a "broken" Pistorius had been punished enough. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel, all snarls and scepticism, questioned her professionalism during cross-examination, but struggled to rattle her.
The next witness was an even tougher challenge for the prosecution, since he was a state employee appearing for the defence. Social worker Joel Maringa assessed what punishment was suitable. He recommended no time in prison, and three years of house arrest and community service instead.
Judge Masipa, as usual, was giving little away, but asked for more details about what "community service" might entail. If you're looking for clues, that may be the highlight from the first day and, remember, the prosecution has yet to call its own witnesses.

At the sentencing hearing, Joel Maringa, a prison service officer summoned by the defense, said Pistorius should perform community service and receive three years of house arrest rather than imprisonment. "The accused will benefit from correctional supervision," Maringa said, adding that this will give him an "opportunity to restructure and modify his behavior. We are basically not saying that he should be destroyed because he will still be coming back into the community," he said.
Nel described Maringa's suggestions as "shockingly inappropriate", adding that they would amount to "no sentence". He questioned whether Maringa understood the gravity of Pistorius' crime.
Steenkamp's father, Barry, held his head in his hands as Maringa spoke, while her friends shook their heads in disbelief.
The sentencing hearing, which has now been adjourned, is expected to last several days.
Lawyers for Pistorius are hoping they can prevent a jail sentence. His psychologist, Lore Hartzenberg, was the first defense witness to speak at the sentencing hearing. She described Pistorius as a "broken man" after the killing. She said he was "very emotional" during grief therapy sessions, which were often disrupted by his weeping and retching.
Nel said it was "very strange" that Hartzenberg was "avoiding" answering questions about Pistorius having a new relationship.
Hartzenberg said Pistorius had never mentioned a new girlfriend in the therapy sessions. She said she had only heard about the relationship from reports in the press.
The paralympic sprinter had strenuously denied murdering Steenkamp after a row on Valentine's Day of 2013, saying he shot her by mistake.
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.
Steenkamp's parents said "justice was not served" after Pistorius was acquitted of murder.
June and Barry Steenkamp told NBC News of their "disbelief" that the court had believed Pistorius' version of events.
Earlier, Arnold Pistorius, the athlete's uncle, said the family was "deeply grateful" to the judge for finding him not guilty of murder and that a "big burden" had been lifted.
South Africa's prosecuting authority said it was "disappointed" that Pistorius was not convicted of murder but said it would wait until after sentencing to decide whether to appeal.
Despite the conviction, the International Paralympic Committee has said Pistorius will be allowed to compete in future events. 

Rico says the guy oughta do life without parole... (And what 'intruder' uses the bathroom?)