Oscar Pistorius to be released from prison on parole
Pistorius will be released on parole.
Former Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius will be released from prison on parole, it has been announced.
He was sentenced by a South African court in 2016 after being convicted of the February 2013 murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
He shot the 29-year-old three times through a bathroom cubicle in his house in Pretoria on Valentine's Day, before later claiming he mistook her for a burglar.
He was sentenced to six years following the murder conviction, which was later upgraded to 13 years and five months.
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Pistorius was initially found guilty of culpable homicide in September 2014 after a trial that lasted several months. He was given a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and was released in October 2015.
The following month, a court overturned the culpable homicide conviction, and found Pistorius guilty of murder.
He was denied parole in March 2023 as he had not reached the minimum detention period, although this was later acknowledged as a mistake by South Africa's Constitutional Court.
The former Paralympic champion, who is now 37, has had his release set for January 5, 2024 by the parole board.
In a victim impact statement addressed to the court, Steenkamp's mother, June, said she believes that Pistorius has not been 'rehabilitated' and added that she would potentially be 'concerned for the safety of any woman' who will come into contact with him.
She did not attend the parole hearing, stating: "I simply cannot muster the energy to face him again at this stage."
Prior to his murder of Steenkamp, Pistorius was one of the most high-profile athletes in the world.
A double-leg amputee from the age of 11 months old, he turned to sprinting after suffering a serious knee injury while playing rugby.
He won a gold medal in the 200 metres at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, before winning three gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 400m at Beijing 2008.
At London 2012, he became the first double-leg amputee to compete in both Olympic and Paralympic sprinting events, and won gold in the 400m Paralympic event.
Ryan Smart