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Disgraced athlete Oscar Pistorius could be released from prison after prosecutors admitted they made a mistake in refusing previous requests for parole.
The Olympic athlete and double amputee has been in a South African prison since being found guilty of murdering model girlfriend Reeve Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013. Pistorius, now 36, said he thought she was an intruder and that the shooting was a tragic mistake.
He was convicted of manslaughter, and the verdict was later raised to murder, carrying a sentence of 13 years and five months. Since then, Pistorius has made proposals for parole, which have been rejected.
His case will be heard again on Friday, where the South African Department of Corrections said a board will decide whether or not he is “suitable for social integration”.
Serious offenders in South Africa must serve at least half of their sentence before they are eligible for parole.
The Supreme Court of Appeal ultimately ruled in 2017 that Pistorius should serve South Africa’s minimum 15-year sentence for murder, but took into account the year and seven months he had already served for manslaughter when it handed down his new sentence.
However, the court made a mistake by not counting another period Pistorius served while his murder sentence was being appealed, meaning he was in fact eligible for parole in March when he was told at his first hearing which would only be eligible in August 2024. .
Pistorius’ lawyers took his case to the country’s Constitutional Court, which earned him a new hearing on Friday, in recognition of the appeal court’s error.
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Source: www.lindaikejisblog.com