Former Olympic Runner Could Get Parole After Nearly 10 Years In Prison

24/11/2023 17:49

                Oscar Pistorius could be granted parole on Friday after spending nearly 10 years in prison in South Africa for murder.
        
        The double-amputee Olympic runner was one of the world's most admired athletes before he killed his girlfriend by shooting her multiple times through a toilet door at his home on Valentine's Day 2013.
        
        Pistorius, who turned 37 this week, was sent to prison in late 2014. He has been given a second chance at parole in the space of eight months after he was for early release at a first hearing in March.
        
        That was due to an error made by an appeals court over when the sentence officially started. Pistorius was initially convicted of culpable homicide - a charge comparable to manslaughter - for killing Reeva Steenkamp.
        
        That conviction was overturned and he was convicted of murder after an appeal by prosecutors. They also appealed against an initial sentence of six years for murder, and Pistorius was ultimately sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison.
        
        Serious offenders in South Africa must serve at least half their sentence to be eligible for parole, which Pistorius has done.