Oscar Pistorius released on parole 11 years after killing girlfriend

Pistorius was one of the world's most revered athletes when he shot and killed Reeva Steenkamp Photo: LUCKY NXUMALO/AFP

Former Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius was released on parole on Friday, almost 11 years after killing his girlfriend in a crime that shocked South Africa.

Pistorius, nicknamed «Blade Runner» for his carbon fiber prosthetic legs, killed the 29-year-old. — old model Reeva Steenkamp after he fired four shots through a locked bathroom door on Valentine's Day 2013.

He has repeatedly said he mistook Ms Steenkamp for an intruder when he fired a pistol into the bathroom at his Pretoria home. home, and on this basis he repeatedly appealed his sentence.

The country's prison department said in a statement: «The Department of Correctional Services [is] able to confirm that Oscar Pistorius is a parolee with effect from 5 January 2024. «He was accepted into the community corrections system and is now at home.»

Pistorius, now 37, spent about eight-and-a-half years in prison and seven months under house arrest before being convicted of murder. In November, the parole board decided he could be released after serving more than half of his sentence.

«There can never be justice»

In a statement released on Friday by the Steenkamp family's lawyer, Ms Steenkamp's mother June said: «There can never be justice if your loved one never returns and no amount of time served will bring Reeva back.»

“We who are left behind are serving life sentences.” She added that her only wish was to allow Pistorius to live in peace once Pistorius is paroled.

The official will monitor Pistorius until his sentence expires in December 2029. Pistorius will have to inform the official if he seeks work. opportunities or moving to a new address.

Steenkamp's family said he must also continue anger management therapy and attend gender-based violence classes as part of his parole conditions.

Ms Steenkamp said the conditions imposed by the commission parole were confirmed. her faith in the South African justice system, which makes it clear that gender-based violence is taken seriously.

Reeva Steenkamp's mother June and father Barry, who died in September aged 80. Photo: CHANNEL 5/PA

Pistorius is expected to live at the home of his uncle Arnold Pistorius in a wealthy suburb of Pretoria, according to local media reports.

South Africans have had mixed reactions to his release; some believe he has served his time, others believe his sentence is too lenient.

One resident told reporters gathered outside his uncle's home Friday morning: “He paid his price. Let him rebuild his life.»

Pistorius was once a darling of the sports world and a pioneering voice for disabled athletes, whom he championed to be allowed to compete against able-bodied competitors at major sporting events.

p>In August 2012, a few months before. By shooting his girlfriend, Pistorius became the first double amputee to compete at the London Olympics, where he reached the semi-finals in the 400m.

He won two gold medals at the Paralympics.

'Shockingly indulgent'

He was first jailed for five years in October 2014 for innocent murder by the Supreme Court. After his prosecutors appealed the decision, the Supreme Court of Appeal found him guilty of murder in December 2015. But when he was sentenced in July 2016, he was given only six years, despite prosecutors insisting on a minimum sentence of 15 years.

Then, in November 2017, the Supreme Court of Appeal over which doubled his sentence to 13 years and five months, calling his previous term «shockingly lenient».

Pistorius met with Reeva's father Barry Steenkamp in 2022 in a «dialogue between victim and offender», an integral part of the system restorative justice in South Africa.

Based in part on how indigenous cultures dealt with crime long before Europeans colonized South Africa, restorative justice aims to find a way out for injured parties into crime rather than simply punishing the guilty.

He was initially denied parole in March, but the Constitutional Court subsequently ruled that he had served half of his sentence by March 21. He was eligible for parole after it was granted retroactively. The first conviction for murder was in July 2016, rather than November 2017.