SOUTH AFRICAN former Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, who was jailed in 2014 for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, has been granted parole.
The parole (early release, usually for good behaviour) is effective from January 5 next year, the Department of Correctional Services announced today.
Nicknamed the ‘Blade Runner’ for his prosthetic legs, Pistorius was a Paralympic champion revered across the world before his globally televised conviction for shooting and killing model Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in his home in 2013.
He was initially jailed for five years in 2014 for culpable homicide by a high court but the South African Supreme Court of Appeal in late 2015 found him guilty of murder after an appeal by prosecutors.
He was sent back to jail for six years in 2016, less than half the 15-year minimum term sought by prosecutors.
In 2017, the Supreme Court more than doubled his sentence to 13 years and five months, saying the six-year jail term was ‘shockingly lenient’.
Now he has been granted parole six years into that sentence.
Pistorius, 37, had both his feet amputated before his first birthday due to congenital defects but he went on to achieve athletic glory with his famous prosthetic legs.
He won several gold medals at the Paralympics in 2004, 2008 and 2012 in individual sprint races and relays, and was one of the greatest athletes living with disabilities.
