Genre : Sports
Oscar Pistorius, a South African athlete, was freed on parole from prison and is currently at home, the country’s Department of Corrections announced on Friday. Pistorius’s release was not further detailed by the government. The news broke early in the morning, stating that the well-known double amputee Olympic runner had been freed from the Atteridgeville Correctional Center in Pretoria, South Africa, early in the morning.
For the murder of his girlfriend and model Reeva Steenkamp, he was apprehended and given a 13-year term. After nine years in jail, he is allowed to go on parole.
Life and Rise to Fame
South Africa is where Pistorius was born. A congenital abnormality required the amputation of both of his legs at the age of 11 months. His involvement in the Olympic and Paralympic Games made him well-known. He was the tenth sprinter to accomplish this.
He first gained notoriety by using his “Flex-Foot Cheetah,” a prosthetic limb in the shape of a J. However, because it outclassed the other athletes, the IAAF, the sports regulating organization, banned it. He did, however, make a comeback to the field, taking home three gold medals in the 100, 200, and 400 meter events in the 2008 Paralympic Games. Following that, he competed in both the 2012 Summer Olympics and Summer Paralympics. His interests extended beyond running to other sports.
From the Track to the Trials
The killing took place on February 14, 2013. Reeva Steenkamp, Pistorius’s girlfriend, was shot and killed in their Pretoria home. He acknowledged that he had shot her four times, but he said that he had thought she may be an intruder.
His defence is that he walked outdoors to close a window on the balcony. She also got out of bed and used the restroom at the same moment. It was dark when he came back, and he assumed she was asleep on the bed. He claimed to have “generalized anxiety disorder,” so when he heard a disturbance in the restroom, it made him fearful because he had received multiple death threats at the time. Pistorius shot at the bathroom door four times and when he realised that Steenkamp was not in the bed, he smashed open the bathroom door and saw her lying on the floor.
The prosecution refuted all these claims, asserting that the murder was planned. They also mentioned witnesses who were standing in the yards and heard the pair quarrel. According to the prosecutor, Steenkamp locked herself behind the bathroom door in an attempt to help herself when he became angry. He was so furious that he took out the revolver and shot her, intending to harm her. Additionally, Pistorius’s allegation of having an anxiety illness was denied by the prosecution. The court also forwarded his claim of responsible homicide.
He was eventually detained, placed under house arrest, and sentenced to prison in 2016 following a number of disputes and releases. The sentence was increased to 13 years by the Supreme Court in response to the prosecution’s 2017 appeal.
Parole and Restrictions
In November of last year, it was agreed to grant him parole. There are severe restrictions on his parole. He should not drink alcohol and is not permitted to leave his house. It’s also required to meet with the parole officers and other officers. He also needs clearance to depart Waterkloof. This case is still a noteworthy illustration of a public legal action.