Oscar Pistorius set to be released from prison in early 2024
This week, former Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius was granted parole from prison, almost 11 years after being convicted of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
Pistorius was denied parole earlier this year, having not met the minimum required detention period. He was next eligible for parole in August 2024. Still, the runner’s lawyer appealed that decision, saying the board did not consider the 16 months he spent in prison between July 2016 and November 2017, according to the Associated Press.
Pistorius, now 37, will be released on 5 January 2024. Once he is released, Pistorius will be monitored until his sentence officially expires. In addition to the monitoring, Pistorius will also have to attend therapy sessions, according to the Steenkamp family’s spokesman.
A letter read from Steenkamp’s mother, June Steenkamp, during the parole board hearing, stated that she did not oppose Pistorius’ release but worried that he had not been fully rehabilitated while in prison. She said she would be 'concerned for the safety of any woman' who now comes into contact with him.
Steenkamp was not present at the parole hearing at Atteridgeville prison, saying in the letter: 'I simply cannot muster the energy to face him again at this stage.'
Reeva Steenkamp’s father, Barry, who passed away earlier this year, met with Pistorius last year as part of a programme in South Africa giving victims of crime or their families a chance to confront offenders applying for parole. During that face-to-face meeting, Steenkamp urged Pistorius to confess that he had intentionally shot Steenkamp after an argument.
While Steenkamp’s mother says she does not believe her daughter’s killer has shown remorse, she had decided to forgive him 'long ago, as I knew most certainly that I would not be able to survive if I had to cling to my anger.'
Pistorius was convicted of murder in 2015 at an appeals court after having initially been convicted of the lesser offense of culpable homicide.
Pistorius’s lower legs were amputated when he was under a year old. After being fitted with prosthetic limbs, Pistorius became known as the 'blade runner,' winning multiple gold medals at the Paralympics. He also competed in the 2012 Olympics in London, with the murder taking place just six months later.
You Might Also Like
