Ten years ago, the case made many headlines: Former sprinter Oscar Pistorius (37) shot his then 29-year-old girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp (1983-2013) through the locked bathroom door early on the morning of Valentine’s Day 2013. For this he was ultimately convicted of manslaughter. Now he will soon be released on parole. The former top athlete is scheduled to be released from prison on January 5th – after serving just over half of his sentence. This was decided by a parole board on Friday (November 24th). Relatives of the victim spoke out against it.
A Justice Department statement described Pistorius as a “first-time offender with a positive support system.” Pistorius shot Steenkamp with four bullets fired through the locked bathroom door. He always claimed it was a mistake and that he mistook her for a burglar. The athlete with a prosthetic leg made of carbon fiber was ultimately sentenced to five years in prison in October 2014 for manslaughter. After the public prosecutor’s office revoked the sentence, the prison sentence was increased to 13 years and five months in November 2017.
He has now served more than half of his sentence. This means he is entitled to a parole hearing under South African law. He had already submitted an application for probation in March, which was initially rejected citing a “bureaucratic error”. A month ago, however, the Supreme Constitutional Court found that the judiciary itself had made a mistake. That is why the hearing has now been rescheduled. It took place at Atteridgeville Prison, just outside Pretoria.
Steenkamp’s mother June did not attend the appointment, the BBC reported. However, a statement from her was read out remembering her husband Barry, who passed away in September. She shared that she doesn’t have the strength to face Oscar Pistorius again yet. Her husband died of a “broken heart” caused by his grief for his daughter. The Steenkamps had firmly rejected the release before the attempt at freedom in March. Now June Steenkamp said again: “I don’t believe Oscar’s version that he thought the person in the toilet was a burglar. In fact, I don’t know anyone who believes that.” Reeva’s brother Adam Steenkamp argued the evening before that Pistorius should remain behind bars to serve his sentence. He told the Daily Mail: “I already thought the original sentence was lenient in itself.”
