Oscar Pistorius Sentencing Latest News: Lead Prosecutor Recommends 10-Year Imprisonment for Athlete

South African Olympic and Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius should be jailed for at least 10 years for killing his girlfriend on Valentine's Day last year. That recommendation was made by prosecutors during a sentencing hearing at a court in Pretoria, South Africa, on Friday.

Judge Thokozile Masipa is scheduled to sentence the 27-year-old Pistorius on Tuesday, Oct. 21, to end a sensational six-month televised trial that has captivated millions of people around the world.

The hearing saw the defense and prosecution teams arguing over whether Pistorius should go to jail or be punished with just a suspended sentence,or house arrest or community service.

Last month, Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide for fatally shooting his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, a 29-year-old law graduate and model, at his luxury home. Pistorius claimed that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder.

At the close of the five-day hearing, lead prosecutor Gerrie Nel said, "The minimum sentence that society will be happy with is 10 years imprisonment."

"We shouldn't fail the parents. We shouldn't fail society. Society may lose its trust in the court," Nel said.

As reported by The Guardian, the prosecution also made the following pointed statements:

"The only, but only, reasonable sentence would be a long-term incarceration."

"Society trusts the court to deal with criminals... To be harsh if it has to."

"The fact that he's sorry she's dead is not remorse for what he did. It is not good enough."

"What could be worse than hearing your child died a violent death? I've thought about it: nothing. The deceased did nothing to contribute to her death. She did nothing. She died a horrific death. She had nowhere to go."

Earlier, Pistorius' legal team insisted that the accused has also become a victim of what happened on Feb. 14, 2013.

"There was an accused and a victim ... and the accused became a victim. We have a man who negligently, in an anxious and vulnerable state of mind, killed the woman that he loved," lead counsel Barry Roux said.

"He was denigrated... a cold-blooded killer. He has lost everything. He doesn't even have money to pay legal expenses. He has nothing left. Is this a person you must remove from society? We say no."

"It's deep and it's permanent and it won't go away ... No punishment can be worse than the last 18 months," the legal team added.