Johannesburg – Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius might be released from prison this week, a decade after he killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
A parole board is to decide whether Pistorius should be let out early, after a hearing in Pretoria on Friday.
“The board must determine whether the purpose of imprisonment has been served,” said Department of Correctional Services’ spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo.
Pistorius, who is now 36, shot dead Reeva, a model, in the early hours of Valentine’s Day in 2013, when he fired four times through the bathroom door of his ultra-secure Pretoria house.
He pleaded not guilty and denied that he killed Reeva in a rage, saying he mistook her for a burglar.
Pistorius has now served more than half his 13-year sentence, making him eligible for parole. He was initially sentenced to six years in jail but the term was later lengthened to 13 after the State appealed that it was unduly lenient.
Decision time
As part of his rehabilitation, Pistorius met Reeva’s parents June and Barry last year, in a process authorities said aims to ensure inmates “acknowledge the harm they have caused to their victims and the society at large”.
Reeva’s mother June will attend the hearing to “make representations to the parole board” which will include both parents’ victim impact statements, said Tania Koen, the Steenkamps’ lawyer.
June’s husband Barry is unable to travel due to ill health, Koen added.
“They are going to make their submissions. And then obviously, the law will take its course,” she said.
The board, normally made up of correctional services and community members, will consider whether an inmate has been rehabilitated or still poses a danger to society, said Kelly Phelps, a law professor at the University of Cape Town.
This will take into account the seriousness of the offence as well as Pistorius’ behaviour behind bars, including whether he attended educational and life skills programs.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Getty Images
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