Light sentence could spark 'crisis of trust'

Prosecutors fought a rear-guard action to ensure Oscar Pistorius is jailed for unlawfully killing his girlfriend, warning Wednesday that justice was also on trial in the eyes of the South African public.

Amid defence calls for Pistorius to be punished with community service, state prosecutor Gerrie Nel said if the Paralympian star sprinter goes free the court risks ruining the reputation of the country's legal system.

"If the court sentence is too light, and society loses trust in the court, they will take the law into their own hands," said Nel. "That's what the court has to guard against."

Nel's comments came amid a row over courtroom revelations that Pistorius paid "blood money" to the family of his slain girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

He also hammered defence witness and probation officer Annette Vergeer on her apparent slap-dash report on the state of South Africa's prisons.