Oscar Pistorius granted parole to start on 5 January

Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee South African Olympian known as the Blade Runner, convicted of murdering his girlfriend in 2013, is set to be released on parole from Friday. Despite winning six Paralympic gold medals, Pistorius’ legacy is marred by the tragic Valentine’s Day shooting. The prisons department emphasises strict parole conditions until his sentence concludes in 2029.

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Oscar Pistorius, Olympian Who Killed Girlfriend, to Start Parole Jan. 5
By Paul Burkhardt

Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee South African Olympian athlete who murdered his girlfriend a decade ago, will be placed on parole from Friday, the prisons department said.

Known as the Blade Runner because of the carbon-fiber prosthetics he wore when racing, Pistorius won six Paralympic gold medals. He shot Reeva Steenkamp in the bathroom of his home in the capital, Pretoria, on Valentine’s Day in 2013, saying he mistook her for an intruder.

The High Court convicted him of manslaughter in 2014 and jailed him for six years, with Judge Thokozile Masipa ruling that he was a first-time offender and that justice wouldn’t be served by imprisoning him for longer. But the following year, the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that he was guilty of murder and later extended his sentence to 15 years, while taking into account the time he had already served.

The prisons department affirmed a Nov. 24 decision to grant Pistorius parole and said it would monitor him until his sentence expires in 2029. His parole conditions require him to be home at specific times and not consume alcohol or other prohibited substances, it said in a statement.