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South African Olympian and Paralympian Oscar Pistorius has been released from jail under house arrest, BBC reports.
The athlete, who was living with his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, shot his partner to death through a bathroom door in February 2013. During the hearings following her death, the South African said he mistook her for a home intruder and reacted in self-defense.
The ‘Blade Runner’ was sentenced to serve 5 years in jail for culpable homicide (or) manslaughter, but in an interesting development, Pistorius was told he would be freed from prison on Tuesday but will stay under house arrest. The athlete was instead released a day earlier, on Monday evening.
Pistorius is set to spend 5 years of his ‘house arrest’ sentence at his uncle’s house in Pretoria.
The prosecutors, who are against the sentencing, have lodged a case against the defendant, Pistorius, in the Supreme Court of South Africa, the hearing for which will take place on November 3rd. The main argument which concerns state prosecutors is that the sportsman should have been convicted for murder and not given a less harsh manslaughter charge.
A spokesman from the Kgosi Mampuru II Prison, where Pistorius was being held so far, confirmed the news. According to BBC, the spokesman said on Monday evening that the athlete had been placed under correctional supervision on Monday night.
Pistorius was transferred to his uncle’s home before the decided time so as to avoid any unnecessary media attention.
While attorneys for the Olympic athlete had earlier tried to secure an August release, South Africa's Justice Minister Michael Masutha had then blocked the decision saying it was "too early.”
His sentiments were echoed by the Steenkamp family, who also felt that Pistorius’ sentence was not in accordance with the crime he committed.
The case is one of the most high-profile criminal cases in recent years, both in and outside the world of sport, and has attracted widespread media attention since it first began.
