Jailed South African paralympic star Oscar Pistorius seeks parole; could be released 'within weeks'
Jailed South African paralympic star Pistorius seeks parole in murder case
South African paralympic star Oscar Pistorius could soon be out of jail after the latest rounds of hearings on his parole. It is claimed that the disgraced Paralympian star could be released from prison in South Africa 'within weeks' after being eligible for parole. Having served half of his sentence, Pistorius is automatically eligible for parole having allegedly murdered his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his home in 2013.
Pistorius to be out on parole?
It is reported that the Parole Board will consider Pistorius's plea on March 31, a decade after the alleged incident took place. Pistorius has since been in police custody having been shot four times through his bathroom door in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2013. The announcement of the parole hearing comes after it was revealed by the authorities that Pistorius will be given 24-hour police protection upon his release, due to fears of attacks. In the meantime, Henke Pistorius, father of Oscar has claimed that his son has been a spiritual leader behind the bars.
"I do not doubt that Oscar has changed the environment in the prison for the better," Henke said.
"He is helping to mediate between people and is having a positive influence. He can feel he is making a difference to others who really needed a difference to be made — to give their lives meaning, purpose and some hope.
"As a result, things have also improved for him. It's a wonderful story."
After the incident took place in 2013, it was claimed that Steenkamp's parents had forgiven Pistorius, but later turn their back as he failed to accept the charges. Blade Runner claimed that he had shot Reeva unintentionally while her parents claimed that the act was deliberate.
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Claims bySteenkamp's family
"I told Oscar directly that he had shot my daughter deliberately and he denied it. He stuck to his story that he thought it was an intruder. After all these years we are still waiting for him to admit he did it in anger. That is all we wanted.
"If he told me the truth, he would have been a free man by now and I would have let the law take its course over his parole. But I was wasting my time. He is a murderer. He should remain in jail," Barry Steenkamp said while addressing the case.
The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria originally sentenced Pistorius to six years in prison in October 2014, which was later doubled to 13 years on appeal of the prosecutors.