Former top athlete Oscar Pistorius is released on parole. The South African Department of Corrections announced this on Friday. Pistorius murdered his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day 2013 and was therefore convicted of manslaughter.
Pistorius will be released from prison in the capital Pretoria on January 5. He was classified as a “first-time offender with a positive support system,” the report said. A parole hearing was held Friday morning.
Pistorius killed his then girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp with four shots through the toilet door of his villa. The proceedings against the former sprinter dragged on for years and involved several authorities. Pistorius said at the time that he shot several times because he feared an intruder was behind the door. But the evidence was against him.
The now 37-year-old has served approximately half of his sentence of 13 years and five months. Under South African law, he was automatically entitled to a parole hearing.
At the time of the crime, Pistorius was at the height of his career. At the 2012 Paralympic Games he won six gold medals on specially made carbon prostheses. As a child, his legs were amputated below the knees due to a genetic defect. (saw/sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
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