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Oscar Pistorius will be released after almost a decade years. The Department of Correctional Services reported on November 24 that the former Paralympian from South Africa, who was imprisoned in 2014, had been granted parole after 9 years, which would take effect on January 5.
During a hearing on Friday, the director of correctional services verified that the athlete would receive parole "effectively." A decade ago, in proceedings that captured the attention of the entire world, Pistorius, dubbed the "Blade Runner" for his carbon-fiber prosthetic legs, was imprisoned for killing his then-girlfriend.
The double amputee and Olympian has been imprisoned in South Africa ever since his model girlfriend's manslaughter conviction. On February 14, 2013, he shot his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, several times through a bathroom door. Then he said he believed she was a thief, which is why he did that. A South African court sentenced the now 37-year-old Oscar Pistorius to 13 years and five months in prison.
Oscar Pistorius will be kept under strict observation by the government after being released from prison
Oscar Pistorius, the Paralympic champion from South Africa, was allowed to leave jail early on Friday on parole, 9 years after he killed his girlfriend in a crime that made headlines across the world, according to prison officials. As per Inside Sports, a DCS representative said:
"The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) confirms parole placement for Mr Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius, effectively from 5 January 2024".
His conviction was elevated to murder, and he was given a prison sentence of 13 years and 5 months. A high court further sentenced him to 5 years in prison for culpable homicide in 2014. However, this was done when, in response to an appeal by the prosecution, the Supreme Court of Appeal declared him guilty of murder in late 2015.
As per ABC7 Chicago, Oscar Pistorius has since submitted several requests for parole, all of which have been denied. He was mistakenly declared ineligible for early release in March, but at a hearing earlier this week in Johannesburg, he was given another opportunity at parole. After it was determined that he had not served the minimum amount of time in jail necessary to be eligible for parole, he was denied parole in March.
In 2016, the prosecution requested a minimum sentence of 15 years, but the judge only sent him away for 6 years.
After considering the year and a half that Oscar Pistorius had already served jail time for culpable homicide, the Supreme Court of Appeal finally decided in 2017 that Pistorius should serve the minimum 15-year sentence for murder in South Africa.
However, the court made an error in not accounting for the additional time Pistorius spent serving his murder sentence while it was under appeal. By March 21, 2023, Pistorius had served half of his sentence, according to a ruling made in October by the constitutional court. This indicates that contrary to what was stated during his initial hearing, which took place in August 2024, he was actually qualified for parole in March.
He testified during his murder trial that he mistakenly shot 29-year-old Steenkamp with his licensed 9mm handgun because he thought she was a potential intruder hiding in his bathroom at night.
As per BBC, the Department of Correctional Services also stated on Friday that Oscar Pistorius will be monitored by the government after he is released until his term formally expires "just like all other parolees". Furthermore, it was also said that he will also need to attend counseling sessions, according to a representative for the Steenkamp family.
His uncle Arnold Pistorius discussed the "Oscar room" in the context of the case with the Afrikaans news website Netwerk24 prior to the hearing. He said that he had set up the room for his nephew and it was waiting on his expansive property in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa.
On the other hand, Steemkamp's mother doesn't believe the person who killed her daughter has expressed regret. However, she still said that she chose to forgive him a long time ago because she knew that holding onto her anger would not be healthy for her.
