Olympian Oscar Pistorius who has been in jail since 2014 after being found guilty of mudering his girlfriend Reeva Steekamp was released on Parole on Friday (January 5). The development was confirmed by South Africa's Department Of Corrections who announced at around 08:30 am as per local time that the Olympic runner, often referred to the as "Blade Runner" has been released from the Atteridgeville Correctional Centre in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa.
For the unversed, Pistorius had shot dead Steenkamp on Valentine's Day in 2013. Pistorius' girlfriend was 29 when she was murdered and had a career in modelling apart from graduating in law. On the other hand, it was a massive fall from fame for Pistorius as he had made a name for himself in the international sporting arena, winning several gold medals at the Paralympic Games using his prosthetic legs. He even went on to compete in the 2012 London Olympics, a tournament where all his other competitors were fully abled bodied athletes.
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Notably, Pistorius had fired four shots with his pistol through the door of the toilet at his home in Pretoria in February 2013. He had argued that he had mistaken his girlfriend for an intruder, assuming that Steenkamp was sleeping in bed. As per a report carried by the BBC, the victim's mother had not opposed the athlete's plea for getting released on parole. The deceased's father breathed his last in September 2023.
While 'Blade Runner' was originally imprisoned for five years in 2014 for culpable homicide by the high court it was changed by the Supreme Court a year later who found him guilty of murder instead. It is being reported that Pistorius had previously appealed for a parole as well but that request had been declined as the minimum period required in order to become eligible for a parole was not fulfilled.