In 2014, Oscar Pistorius received a five-year prison sentence, which was increased several times. A decision will soon be made as to whether the ex-sprint star will be released. According to his lawyer, there is a chance. The “Blade Runner” has always claimed in the past that he accidentally killed his girlfriend.
According to his lawyer, former top athlete Oscar Pistorius, convicted of manslaughter, can hope for parole. A decision should be made on March 31, said Pistorius’ lawyer, Julian Knight. South Africa’s Ministry of Justice declined to comment.
Pistorius, who was amputated below both knees, killed the then 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp with four shots through a toilet door in his villa in the capital Pretoria on the night of Valentine’s Day 2013. The former athlete, who was nicknamed “Blade Runner” because of his prostheses, always claimed to have taken the model for a burglar and acted in a panic.
Pistorius’ fall from internationally acclaimed athlete to gunman and the ensuing legal battle through multiple instances had caused a sensation around the world. The prolific athlete and the law-educated model were part of the country’s celebrity elite and were hailed as a dream couple in the South African media.
The proceedings against Pistorius dragged on for years and went through several instances. The former athlete initially received a five-year prison sentence in 2014. This was increased to six years in 2016. After another revocation by the public prosecutor, Pistorius was finally sentenced to 13 years and five months at the end of 2017. The time he had previously spent in prison was not counted. The Ministry had rejected an earlier application for parole. At the time, spokeswoman for the Steenkamp family, Tania Koen, told South African television broadcaster eNCA that the victim’s parents “still felt the pain on a daily basis”.
Sprinter Pistorius had won six gold medals at the Paralympic Games on specially made carbon prostheses. In London in 2012 he became the first leg amputee athlete to compete at the Olympic Games.
(This article was first published on Friday, March 03, 2023.)
