Why has Oscar Pistorius been released?

Oscar Pistorius will be released from prison after ten years behind bars.

The South African Paralympic athlete was found guilty of murdering his partner, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013. Pistorius claimed that he had mistaken her for an intruder when he shot her four times through the bathroom door in their house.

The 37-year-old has now been granted parole, meaning that he will be released form prison on 5 January, 2024.

The announcement from the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) states that “the inmate is fit for social integration”. He has been behind bars at Atteridgeville Prison for a decade.

What was Oscar Pistorius found guilty of?

Pistorius has always denied killing the Steenkamp in a fit of rage, maintaining that he believed a thief was hiding in the house. In 2014 he was initially found not guilty of murder, but of culpable homicide. However in 2015 an Appeals Court overturned the initial verdict and convicted Pistorius of murder.

Judge Thokozile Masipa gave Pistorius a six-year prison sentence, but that was upgraded to 15 years after an appeal from state prosecutors.

Full screen

During the prolonged legal process, Pistorius claimed on more than one occasion that he had suffered a “violation of his fundamental rights” due to the extension of his sentence.

Steenkamp’s family have expressed disappointment at the news. The victim’s mother saying that Pistorius’ “huge anger issues” were unlikely to have been addressed and that she remains “concerned for the safety of any woman” who comes into contact with him.