Oscar Pistorius hopes to avoid prison as sentencing hearing begins

Oscar Pistorius' therapist told a sentencing hearing yesterday that the star sprinter was a "broken man" who experienced genuine remorse after shooting dead his girlfriend.

As Pistorius' lawyers fought to keep him out of jail, his therapist Lore Hartzenberg told a South African court that Pistorius was virtually inconsolable during initial counselling sessions after he killed Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day 2013.

The 27-year-old double amputee was last month found guilty of negligently killing the model. But he was cleared on a more serious charge of murder, a verdict that shocked the country and fuelled criticism of South Africa's legal system.

"Some of the sessions were just him weeping and crying and me holding him," said Hartzenberg, the first witness called by Pistorius' lawyers to mitigate against a prison sentence.

"I can confirm his remorse and pain to be genuine," said Hartzenberg "I have never found him to be anything other than a respectful, caring and well-mannered person."

She described Pistorius as a "broken man".

Meanwhile, a South African correctional services social worker, told Pretoria's High Court that the athlete should serve three years house arrest and do 16 hours community service a month sparking angry comments from prosecutors. He said house arrest was "as harsh" as any other sentence.