Ten years ago, Paralympic winner Oscar Pistorius shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and was later convicted of murder; now the South African could be released from prison.
On Friday, the parole authority in his home country will decide whether the 37-year-old can leave the prison in Atteridgeville on parole. His sentence actually doesn’t end until 2031.
“Blade Runner” Pistorius, a former sprint star, failed with his first application in March. At the time, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) considered that he had not yet reached the required minimum prison term. Prisoners in South Africa are automatically eligible for a parole review after serving half of their sentence.
Former Paralympics star Oscar Pistorius has been behind bars since 2014
The Constitutional Court contradicted the DCS assessment last month and ruled that credit for prison time must begin with the date an inmate was put behind bars in the first instance. This was the case with Pistorius in 2014.
The six-time Paralympic gold winner and six-time world champion killed Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013 when he shot four times through the closed bathroom door of his Pretoria home. Pistorius claimed he mistook Steenkamp for a burglar.
Pistorius, who was amputated on both sides of his lower leg, was initially convicted of manslaughter (five years in prison) and, after an appeal, finally convicted of murder. In 2017, a sentence of 13 years and five months was handed down, but a subsequent appeal before South Africa’s highest court failed. After that there were no more legal options.