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Key Points
- Oscar Pistorius was convicted of killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, a decade ago.
- Pistorius defended his actions by saying he believed there was an intruder in his home.
- Now aged 37, he has served half of his sentence of 13 years and five months.
Pistorius – known as the “Blade Runner” for his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs – shot the 29-year-old model and law graduate through a bathroom door on Valentine’s Day in 2013, and later repeatedly told courts he had mistaken her for an intruder.
Who is Oscar Pistorius?
After learning to walk on prosthetic legs, Pistorius became a sportsman in high school. He turned to sprint training in 2003 after suffering a serious knee injury playing rugby.
Oscar Pistorius during the 2012 Olympic Games. Source: AAP / Michael Kappeler/DPA
Running on carbon fibre prosthetic blades, Pistorius became a Paralympic gold medallist over 200 metres in Athens in 2004.
Four months later the Court for Arbitration for Sport ruled that he was eligible to compete in IAAF-sanctioned events. He capped the year by winning three golds at the Paralympics in Beijing.
He also carried the flag for South Africa at the opening ceremony of the London Paralympic Games and won two gold medals.
The murder on Valentine’s Day
He was convicted of culpable homicide in September 2014 but was let off the more serious charge of murder. He started his five-year jail sentence in October but was a year later released to house arrest.
Oscar Pistorius (right) and his girlfriend, the late Reeva Steenkamp. Source: AAP / Lucky Nxumalo/AP
But the Supreme Court of Appeal in December 2015 overturned the earlier ruling and found Pistorius guilty of murder.
The Supreme Court eventually more than doubled his sentence to 13 years and 5 months in November 2017, accepting state prosecutors’ argument that the original jail term was “shockingly lenient”.
Why has he been granted parole?
Several factors are typically taken into account by a parole board, including the nature of the crime, the possibility of reoffending, conduct in prison, physical and mental well-being and potential threats a prisoner may face if released.
Pistorius was classified at a parole hearing on Friday as “a first-time offender with a positive support system”.
What happens once he’s released from prison?
His parole will come with other conditions:
- Pistorius will not be allowed to leave the area of Pretoria where he is set to live without permission from authorities.
- He will also attend a program to deal with anger issues and another program on violence against women.
- He will have to perform community service.
Oscar Pistorius, hugs his sister, Aimee, right, in the High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, on 15 June 2016. Source: AAP / Alon Skuy/AP
“Parole does not mean the end of the sentence. It is still part of the sentence. It only means the inmate will complete the sentence outside a correctional facility,” Nxumalo said.
“What will happen is that Mr Pistorius will be allocated a monitoring official. This official will work with him until his sentence expires.”
How has the Steenkamp family reacted?
But in the run-up to Friday’s hearing, Reeva Steenkamp’s mother June released a statement saying she was not convinced Pistorius had been rehabilitated.
June Steenkamp, mother of murder victim Reeva Steenkamp, said she was not convinced Pistorius had been rehabilitated. Source: AAP / Kim Ludbrook/EPA
“Rehabilitation requires someone to engage honestly with the full truth of his crime and the consequences thereof,” her statement read.
She said she had forgiven him “long ago as I knew most certainly that I would not be able to survive if I had to cling to my anger”.
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