Former Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, also known as the ‘Blade Runner’, murdered his then 29-year-old girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013 on Valentine’s Day.
Bullets through bathroom door
After her death, he was first placed in house arrest and was convicted of culpable homicide after seven months. He was given a five-year prison sentence, but appealed. The Supreme Court later convicted him of murder and he was sentenced to thirteen years in prison.
Pistorius has now been imprisoned for more than eight years and is entitled to parole under South African law. At the end of 2023, the Ministry of Justice decided that he could be released today.
Pistorius himself has always maintained that he did not want to kill his girlfriend. Thinking there was an intruder in their home, he fired four bullets through the bathroom door, which was closed. Steenkamp was in the bathroom and died as a result of the gunshot wounds.
Although Pistorius has been released early, he remains in treatment for outbursts of anger, a lawyer for Steenkamp previously reported. He must also maintain contact with the Ministry of Justice.
Advocacy groups against violence against women believe that Pistorius’ release comes too soon, they said.
According to foreign media the South African athlete was given extra protection in prison because the authorities fear a reckoning.
Golden slices
The disabled athlete is missing two lower legs. In 2012, he was the first athlete without lower legs to participate in the Olympic Games in London. At the Paralympic Games he won six gold, one silver and one bronze.
2024-01-05 01:44:44
#Paralympian #Pistorius #released #early #today #murdering #girlfriend
