Oscar Pistorius released from prison with ex-Paralympian unrecognisable

Oscar Pistorius released from prison with ex-Paralympian unrecognisable

GB News reporter Charlie Peters discusses the release of Oscar Pistorius

GBN
Jack Walters

By Jack Walters


Published: 05/01/2024

- 07:00

Updated: 05/01/2024

- 09:34

The decision to grant the 37-year-old parole was made last November

Disgraced former Paralympian Oscar Pistorius has been released from prison nearly 11 years after murdering his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The 37-year-old has been released on parole after serving just half of his sentence.


Pistorius' trial gripped the Rainbow Nation and the world in 2013, just one year after he made history by becoming the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics.

He will face correctional supervision until his sentence ends in 2029 and expected to reside at his uncle's home in Waterkloof, Pretoria.

Oscar PistoriusOscar Pistorius was released from prison todayGETTY

Pistorius will face an alcohol ban, need to receive permission to travel or work and attend programmes on gender-based violence.

The decision to grant Pistorious parole was made last November.

He was initially acquitted of murder, convicted of culpable homicide and handed a five-year sentence in 2014.

However, the South African Supreme Court of Appeal overturned the lower judge’s ruling and found Pistorius guilty of murder.

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Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp at the Feather Awards on November 4, 2012 in Johannesburg, South Africa

Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp at the Feather Awards on November 4, 2012 in Johannesburg, South Africa

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The six-time Paralympic gold medallist was told he should have foreseen the possibility of killing someone when he fired the shots.

Pistorius was sentenced to six-years behind bars in 2016, less than the 15-year minimum term prosecutors were pushing for.

The Supreme Court later ruled the sentence was "shockingly lenient".

However, Steenkamp's family and friends have claimed that Pistorius' early release has highlighted the broader issue of gender-based violence in South Africa.

Oscar Pistorius attends his sentencing hearing in the Pretoria High Court on October 16, 2014

Oscar Pistorius attends his sentencing hearing in the Pretoria High Court on October 16, 2014

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Steenkamp's mother June submitted a victim statement to the parole board, claiming Pistorius had not been fully rehabilitated and alleging he was lying about the killing.

Bulelwa Adonis, a spokesperson for the advocacy group Women for Change, said releasing Pistorius early sent “the wrong message” to potential offenders.

The incident at the couple's Pretoria home saw Pistorius fire four shots through the bathroom door.

Pistorius claimed he mistook Steenkamp, then just 29-years-old, for an intruder.

However, following a lengthy trial, a judge disagreed and convicted the athlete of murder.

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