Former South African Paralympic and Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has been released from prison on parole, after serving nine years for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in a crime that shocked the world, Ednews informs via The Guardian.
Pistorius, a former Paralympic and Olympic athlete, shot the 29-year-old model dead through a locked bathroom door on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
He will be subject to correctional supervision until his sentence ends in 2029. Pistorius is expected to live at his uncle’s home in Waterkloof, an upmarket suburb of South Africa’s capital Pretoria, and to attend programs on gender-based violence and anger management.
He will not be allowed to drink alcohol and will have to get permission to travel or take up employment, which makes it unlikely he will return to the running track soon. The exact terms of his parole have not been made public.
In a statement shared by the Steenkamp family lawyer on Friday, Reeva’s mother, June Steenkamp, said: “There can never be justice if your loved one is never coming back, and no amount of time served will bring Reeva back. We, who remain behind, are the ones serving a life sentence.” She added that her only desire was to be allowed to live in peace.
She has written previously about how her grief was compounded by the relentless media scrutiny that accompanied her daughter’s murder. The Steenkamps were forced to move house, and were nearly bankrupted by legal fees.
