Paralympian Oscar Pistorius one step closer to freedom after his girlfriend’s mother decides not to oppose parole bid
22 November 2023, 10:38 | Updated: 22 November 2023, 11:10
The mother of Oscar Pistorius' murdered girlfriend will not ask to keep the athlete in jail at a parole hearing in Pretoria on Friday.
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Oscar Pistorius may be freed on Friday after almost 10 years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Reeva Steenkamp’s mother is reportedly not opposing the athlete’s parole bid.
The former Paralympian has been in prison since 2014 for fatally shooting his girlfriend Ms Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
British-born June Steenkamp, her mother, has decided not to ask the court to keep Pistorius in jail.
Reeva Steenkamp’s mother is expected to give an impact statement on Friday, according to the Daily Mail.
She is not expected to attend the court hearing in Pretoria in person. A lawyer will read her statement to the parole board and Pistorius on her behalf.
The parole board will weigh up whether to grant him parole.
In a statement to the Associated Press, South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services said a parole board will consider Pistorius’ case and will decide “whether the inmate is suitable or not for social integration.”
Pistorius was sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison. As he was imprisoned for his initial conviction in 2014, he has served over half of his sentence, which makes him eligible for parole in South Africa.
He was convicted of murder in 2015 after the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa overturned his previous conviction of culpable homicide.
The athlete claims he believed Ms Steenkamp was an intruder who was hiding in the bathroom.
He shot her multiple times through a closed toilet door in his home in Pretoria.
Read more: New court documents show how Oscar Pistorius may have been wrongly denied parole
Pistorius is not guaranteed his freedom on Friday. According to lawyers representing the Steenkamp family, if he is granted parole, it is unlikely that he will be freed immediately,
He may be placed on day parole, which would mean he would be free to live and work during the day and would have to return to prison at night.
At the 2012 London Olympics, Oscar Pistorius was the first double-leg amputee athlete to participate in the Summer Olympics Games.
