Former Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius was denied parole on Friday March 31 and will have to remain in jail for at least a year and four more months, after it was ruled he had not served the ” minimum detention period” required to be released following his conviction for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.
The parole board reviewing Mr Pistorius’ application has decided that he may reapply in August 2024, South Africa’s Department of Corrections said in a statement. The commission cited a new clarification of Oscar Pistorius’ sentence issued by South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal three days ago, the statement said.
Thirteen years and five months in prison
The result came as a surprise, but there have been legal wrangling over when Mr Pistorius should be eligible for parole due to the string of appeals in his case. He was initially convicted of culpable homicide, a charge comparable to manslaughter, in 2014, but the case was subject to several appeals before Mr. Pistorius was ultimately sentenced to thirteen years and five months in prison for murder in 2017.
Serious offenders must serve at least half their sentence to be eligible for parole in South Africa. Lawyers for Mr Pistorius had gone to court to argue that he was now eligible because he had served the required part of his time in prison since late 2014, following his culpable homicide conviction.
June Steenkamp, ??the mother of Reeva Steenkamp, ??attended Oscar Pistorius’ hearing on Friday to oppose his parole. Reeva Steenkamp’s parents have said they still don’t believe Pistorius’ version of their daughter’s murder. Mr Pistorius has always claimed to have killed Steenkamp on the eve of Valentine’s Day 2013 after mistaking her for a dangerous intruder into his home. The Steenkamps said they believe he intentionally killed her after an overnight argument and want him to remain in jail.
