Ex-Sports Star
No freedom for Oscar Pistorius: parole denied
Oscar Pistorius talks into his mobile phone during a sentencing hearing for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at the Pretoria Supreme Court (2016). photo
© Alon Skuy/TIMES MEDIA POOL/AP/dpa
The 36-year-old has served about half of his sentence of more than 13 years. Under South African law, this entitles him to a parole hearing. But he is not released.
South Africa’s Correctional Services have refused to grant parole to former top athlete Oscar Pistorius, who has been convicted of manslaughter. A new application for parole could be made in August 2024, the correctional authority said in a statement on Friday.
The reason for the refusal was a bureaucratic error, said a spokesman for the authority, Singabakho Nxumalo. The 36-year-old has not yet served half of his 13-year and five-month sentence, which would have automatically entitled him to a parole hearing under South African law, as originally thought. It was unclear how the error could have occurred in advance.
Pistorius killed his then-girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp with four shots through the toilet door of his villa in the capital Pretoria on the night of Valentine’s Day 2013. The case against Pistorius, who was amputated below both knees, dragged on for years and went through several instances. The former athlete initially received a five-year prison sentence in 2014. This was increased to six years in 2016. After another revocation by the public prosecutor, Pistorius was finally sentenced to 13 years and five months at the end of 2017.