Olympic and paralympic track star, Oscar Pistorius, has been sentenced to five years in prison for the killing of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on February 14, 2013.

Pistorius on Tuesday fell from an internationally glorified athlete to a convicted killer after he was handed the sentence by the South African Judge, Thokozile Masipa.

His lawyer, Barry Roux, said shortly after the ruling that he expected his client to be served a 10 month jail term, while he spends the rest of his sentence under house arrest.

Pistorius was also handed a three-year sentence on a firearms charge, but it was put off for five years on condition that he is not found guilty of another crime.

Following the seven-month trial that caught the attention of the media and people all around the world, the South African court found the athlete guilty of culpable homicide, which in the country means a person was killed accidentally, but unlawfully.

Pistorius had maintained a position that he assumed that Steenkamp, who was in the bathroom when he shot through a closed door, was an intruder.

After the sentence was delivered, Steenkamp’s sick father, Barry however expressed joy that the long period of trial was over, as the family lawyer; Dup De Bruyn also welcomed the sentence.

Pistorious, who spoke to newsmen weeks before his sentencing, said he would not question the judgment of the court in any way, adding that he is not scared of imprisonment.

He said he would contribute to the society while in prison by teaching people how to read and write or start a gym.