The former South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been granted early parole by The Department of Correctional Services on Friday, November 24. The legendary Paralympic star was sentenced to a 15-year jail term for murdering his girlfriend on February 14, 2013, which turned one of the most famous sports personalities into a convicted murderer.
Pistorius, the Gold medalist at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games and the 2011 World Champion, will be released on January 5, 2024, upon a successful appeal for early parole. The Department of Correctional Services had rejected Pistorius' parole requests in March.
"The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) confirms parole placement for Mr Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius, effectively from 5 January 2024," an official said on Friday.
The 37-year-old sprinter shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his home in Pretoria on Valentine's Day in 2013. He initially claimed that he had mistaken his girlfriend for an intruder and was found guilty of culpable murder in 2014. He was sentenced to a five-year jail term and a separate three-year suspended sentence for a reckless endangerment conviction.
However, he was found guilty of murder by the Super Court of Appeal of South Africa in 2015 which overturned the homicide culpable verdict and sentenced him to a total of 15-year jail term.
More to follow...
