Oscar Pistorius: Former athlete ‘will not be released early from prison’ after killing Reeva Steenkamp
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Oscar Pistorius will not be released from his 13 year and five month jail sentence early after killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, a parole board has decided today (March 31). Pistorius, a former Paralympic athlete also known as the Blade Runner, had applied for parole after serving half of the jail term.
The hearing took place at Atteridgeville prison, a low-security facility in rolling fields just outside the city of Pretoria, South Africa. Ahead of the hearing, Reeva Steenkamp’s mother said Pistorius was “not remorseful or rehabilitated”.
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Pistorius, now 36, was convicted of murdering Ms Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013. He continues to maintain that he shot her by mistake, believing she was a robber.
The trial of the Blade Runner attracted global attention and culminated in Pistorius being handed a 13.5 year prison sentence in 2016. Prosecutors described the sentence length as “shockingly lenient” at the time.
It is understood that the parole board will consider Pistorius’ parole again a year from now. He could still go to court to argue that having served more than half of his sentence, South African law stipulated he should be released under supervision.
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