Shot his girlfriend
Oscar Pistorius is released on parole
November 24, 2023, 12:29 p.m
Top athlete Oscar Pistorius is at the peak of his career in 2013. Then he shoots his girlfriend. He has been behind bars for years. Now he is released.
Former top athlete Oscar Pistorius is to be released on parole. This was announced by the South African Department of Corrections. Pistorius, who was convicted of manslaughter, is due to be released from prison on January 5th. He was classified as a “first-time offender with a positive support system,” it said.
Pistorius killed his then-girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp with four shots through the toilet door of his villa on the night of Valentine’s Day 2013. The proceedings against the former sprint star dragged on for years and went through several instances. Pistorius said at the time that he fired several times because he feared there was a burglar behind the door. But the evidence was against him.
The now 37-year-old has served about half of his sentence of 13 years and five months. Under South African law, he is automatically entitled to a parole hearing. A parole hearing had already taken place in March. This was initially rejected citing a “bureaucratic error”. However, in October South Africa’s Constitutional Court found that a mistake had been made. The hearing on Friday was the rescheduled, legal date.
At the 2012 Paralympic Games, Pistorius won six gold medals on specially made carbon prostheses. As a child, his legs were amputated below the knees due to a genetic defect.