Athlete Oscar Pistorius wants an early release from prison after Val

by Kay Lewis Post date: March 31, 2023 10:15 p.m

Oscar Pistorius was hoping to get one early release from prison but it was refused as quickly as he applied.

Oscar Pistorius refused bail

The former athlete has been locked up since 2017 after he “accidentally” shot and killed his then-girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp. He was told that he would not be released from prison until August 2024, and that would only happen if he was approved for parole.

While the murder took place ten years ago, Pistorius has only served six years of his sentence, which is not enough to even consider parole. His lawyers seem to have jumped the gun. The South African athlete remains in Atteridgeville Prison on the outskirts of Pretoria.

In addition, Steenkamp’s mother, June, opposes his early release. He doesn’t think he’s been rehabilitated and shouldn’t be made public yet, meaning he hasn’t served his grieving mom enough time.

Mother Reeva Steenkamp speaks

The model’s mother appeared in court to dash Pistorius’ hopes of being freed after serving just six years behind bars for murder. “While we welcome today’s decision, today is not a day to celebrate,” he opened his statement.

“Barry and I miss Reeva terribly and we will for the rest of our lives. We believe in justice and hope that it will continue to prevail.” The family lawyer also had a few words about the refusal of release.

“I can confirm that he was denied parole, they will reconvene in a year to reconsider and we don’t know (the reasons for the denial) yet,” Tania Koen said. However, the Department of Justice later revealed that “the reason is that the detainee has not served the minimum period of detention.”

Oscar Pistorius was convicted of murder

The former athlete was locked up after he was shot four times in his bathroom door and killed his then-girlfriend. He was found guilty and sentenced to 13 years in prison. He maintains his innocence and claims he believed an intruder was in his home and was harming him and/or Steenkamp.

The high-profile case took over South African and even American news. When Pistorius was charged with culpable homicide (manslaughter in the United States) in 2014. He and his legal team appealed several times before he accepted his fate and submitted to prison for his 13-year sentence.

In South Africa, serious offenders must serve at least half of their sentences, and you could say that if he hadn’t wasted years on appeal, he might be halfway through it now, with at most a year to go.

Pistorius’ lawyers have made it clear they intend to fight the decision. June, who was not present but spoke, said she believed Pistorius was “not repentant or rehabilitated”.

She continues, “I can’t believe your story.” She goes on to share an intimate detail, her husband’s dying wish is that “before he dies, he has one wish, and that is for Oscar to tell us exactly what happened that night.”

Hopefully the parents get their wish.