Oscar Pistorius to be released in January decade after killing girlfriend
Reeva Steenkamp's mother has questioned whether Oscar Pistorius' 'huge anger issues' were truly dealt with in prison. ITV News Correspondent Ellie Pitt has more
Oscar Pistorius will be released from prison on parole in January after serving 10 years for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The former Paralympic champion will be released on Friday January 5, 2024.
Pistorius shot Ms Steenkamp multiple times at his South African home on Valentine's Day in 2013, denying he killed her in a fit of anger and claiming to have mistook her for a burglar.
Ms Steenkamp's mother, June Steenkamp, said she would not oppose Pistorius' parole as she "cannot muster the energy to face him again at this stage", and did not attend his hearing.
Under the conditions of his parole, Pistorius will be constantly monitored by parole officials for five years until his sentence expires, and he will not be allowed to leave the area of Pretoria, where he is set to live with his uncle, without permission from authorities.
Pistorius will additionally attend two programmes: one to deal with anger issues and a second on violence against women.
He was originally jailed for culpable homicide in late 2014, although this was later overturned on appeal and the double-amputee runner was convicted of murder.
Pistorius, who was sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison, saw his first application for parole rejected in March.
The decision was handed down after Pistorius was ruled to be ineligible for early release as he had not served at least half of his sentence - as required under South African law.
But court documents later showed that he was, in fact, eligible - paving the way for Pistorius to make a second appeal on Friday.
Pistorius' murder trial captured the world's attention at the time and was broadcast by international TV channels.
The day before Ms Steenkamp - a 29-year-old model and reality TV star - was shot dead, she posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, about her excitement of spending her first Valentine's Day with Pistorius.
She wrote: "What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow???"
During the trial, Pistorius testified that he killed Ms Steenkamp by mistake, believing her to be an intruder hiding in his bathroom in the middle of the night.
Pistorius shot four times through the door to the bathroom with his licensed 9mm pistol, killing Ms Steenkamp.
Prosecutors had argued that Ms Steenkamp had fled into the room during a late-night argument and that Pistorius killed her in a rage.
He was eventually convicted of murder on a legal principle known as dolus eventualis - meaning he acted with extreme recklessness and should have known that whoever was behind the door would likely be killed.
June Steenkamp attended Pistorius' first parole hearing in March to oppose his release, but did not attend on Friday.
Ms Steenkamp's father, Barry Steenkamp, died in September and the mother's decision to not oppose Pistorius' early release is an apparent softening of the family's position.
In a victim impact statement, June Steenkamp said: "I simply cannot muster the energy to face him again at this stage."
She said she does not believe Pistorius' account that he presumed Ms Steenkamp to be a burglar, saying: "My dearest child screamed for her life... I believe he knew it was Reeva."
"Rehabilitation requires someone to engage honestly with the full truth of his crime and the consequences thereof. Nobody can claim to have remorse if they are not able to engage fully with the truth," she added.
"If someone does not show remorse, they cannot be considered to be rehabilitated. If they are not rehabilitated, their risk of recidivism is high."
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