Served half the sentence
He shot his girlfriend: Oscar Pistorius could be released on parole
Former Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius at his trial in 2014
© Imago Images
In 2013, former professional athlete Oscar Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and was sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison. But now he could be released early. However, he has to meet her parents first.
It was a case that caused a stir internationally: In 2013, the former Paralympics star Oscar Pistorius killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his house with four shots through a toilet door in the capital Pretoria. In 2014 he was sentenced to five and later to 13 years and five months for manslaughter. But he could soon be released early.
As a spokeswoman announced on Monday evening, South Africa’s Ministry of Justice is considering parole for the 34-year-old. The ministry contacted the family of Reeva Steenkamp, who was killed by Pistorius, regarding a victim-perpetrator dialogue that was necessary for the approval of a parole, it said.
Steenkamp spokeswoman: Reeva’s parents “still felt the pain every day”
A probation hearing was already scheduled in October, but it was canceled because no meeting with Reeva Steenkamp’s parents had been arranged in advance, the lawyers of both parties told the AP news agency.
Oscar Pistorius only dated the model Reeva Steenkamp a few months before the fatal shots were fired
© Lucky Nxumalo / AFP
Steenkamp family spokeswoman Tania Koen told eNCA television that the victim’s parents “still felt the pain on a daily basis.” Originally, Pistorius was only released on parole in March 2023. The Steenkamps now have to prepare emotionally for the new date, said Koen. Pistorius father, Henke Pistorius, said meanwhile, the family of the former sports star felt for the Steenkamps. “We send them our condolences and condolences,” said Henke Pistorius.
Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp were only a couple for a short time
If Pistorius is released early, a parole board could impose a number of conditions on him, such as that he can only leave the house during the week to go to work and only for a limited time on the weekends to buy groceries and to visit the church.
Oscar Pistorius was only a few months with the South African model Reeva Steenkamp when he shot her on Valentine’s Day 2013. In court, Pistorius, who was amputated below both knees, claimed it was a tragic accident and that he thought she was a burglar. The trial of the athlete, who has become known as the “Blade Runner”, was partially broadcast live on television. Sprinter Pistorius had won six gold medals at the Paralympic Games on specially made carbon prostheses. In 2012 he was the first leg amputee to compete in the Olympic Games in London. His case from internationally celebrated athlete to shooter and the subsequent legal battle through several instances had caused a worldwide sensation.
See in the video: He was a familiar face at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. But then Oscar Pistorius experienced a tragic incident in his home in South Africa. Model Toni Garrn plays the killed friend Reeva Steenkamp in the film.
Sources: AP, DPA