Oscar Pistorius could be freed after prosecutors admit to parole blunder 10 years after Reeva Steenkamp death

Pistorius will have a fresh chance of freedom at an emergency parole hearing on Friday.

Both the double amputee's family and lawyer are confident South African prosecutors will let him go.

Should Pistorius win freedom, he will reportedly be kept under close protection.

There are fears that Johannesburg's underworld could take revenge on the athlete, who previously raced at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Pistorius was reportedly wrongly ruled ineligible for release from prison in March.

On Friday, a South African parole board will decide whether Pistorius is suitable or not for social integration.

​Reeva's family want their daughter's killer to remain behind bars.

Her father, Mr Barry Steevnkamp, died in September.

However, before his death, the pair insisted Pistorius should remain in prison and serve his sentence - having been given 13 years and five months for the murder.

Mr Steenkamp told the Daily Mail at the time: "He is a murderer. He should remain in jail."

Should Pistorius get his way, he'd be released a couple of years ahead of schedule.

Pistorius broke barriers during his time in athletics and was once seen as the poster boy for Paralympians around the world.

He had his conviction upgraded to murder and, per South African rules, criminals must serve at least eight years before being eligible for parole.

Pistorius was originally sentenced to just six years but, after a series of appeals, was given a longer punishment instead.

South African prosecutors made an error, however, with Pistorius previously eligible for parole in March.

While that's the case, however, he isn't guaranteed his freedom.

A number of factors will be taken into account, including his conduct and disciplinary record behind bars.

Pistorius' mental health and the likelihood of him committing another crime will be considered as well.

Full parole is an option, while Pistorius may be placed on day parole instead.

He would be allowed to live and work in the community before returning to prison at night.

Mrs Steenkamp said earlier this year she had refused to meet with Pistorius and wanted to hurt him, just like he had hurt her.

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"I couldn't see myself going without hurting him," she said.

"I didn't want to go to jail for attacking him. That would have been a great possibility.

"Things haven't got better. It gets worse as the time goes by because we miss Reeva every day that she is not here with us.

"It's very, very stressful that she couldn't spend our last days with us because he took her.

"Oscar has taken a lot away from us and from her.

"So now instead of getting upset, I get anger.

"I am angry with him. It is a horrible thing to say, but I can't stand him."