The former Paralympic champion could be spending his last days behind bars: Oscar Pistorius, convicted of the 2013 murder of his partner, will be set on possible parole after a hearing on Friday.
An ad hoc committee is meeting at 08:00 GMT at Atteridgeville prison, near the South African capital Pretoria, where he is being held. Today’s 36-year-old athlete, sentenced on appeal to 13 years and 5 months’ imprisonment, must defend his case there.
South African law provides that a person convicted of murder can benefit from early release once half of his sentence has elapsed. Oscar Pistorius has been eligible since July 2021.
It should be fixed in the coming days, after deliberation by the committee.
The victim’s mother, June Steenkamp, will be present at this hearing closed to the media. She will expose on her behalf and that of her husband, Barry Steenkamp, the tragic effect on their lives of the murder of their daughter.
“They don’t expect anything in particular, justice must take its course,” their lawyer, Tania Koen, told AFP.
The commission is responsible for “determining whether the purpose of imprisonment has been achieved”, explained the prison administration. The behavior of the detainee, his physical and mental state as well as the risk of recidivism will be examined.
The fate of the former champion changed ten years ago.
In the early hours of Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2013, Pistorius fired a gun through his bedroom bathroom door. Model Reeva Steenkamp, 29, who came to spend the night at his home in Pretoria, was shot four times.
– Lenient justice –
Rich, famous, the six-time Paralympic champion had entered the legend of sport a year earlier by aligning himself with the able-bodied in the 400 meters at the London Olympics, a first for a double amputee.
“Blade Runner”, his nickname in reference to his carbon prostheses in the shape of feline paws, was arrested in the early morning. He pleads a mistake, explains that he believed that a burglar had managed to break into his ultra-secure residence.
During his trial at first instance, broadcast live on television for eight months in 2014, the ex-star appeared in tears, even vomiting when reading the autopsy report. He was sentenced to five years in prison for manslaughter.
The prosecution finds the justice too lenient and appeals to demand a conviction for murder. The legal saga keeps the media in suspense and the world is passionate about this extraordinary case.
On appeal, Pistorius appears before the judges on his stumps. A psychologist called by the defense describes a “broken” man. He is sentenced to six years in prison for murder.
The prosecution considers the sentence still insufficient, murder, except in exceptional circumstances, being punished by at least 15 years’ imprisonment.
In 2017, the Supreme Court of Appeal sentenced Oscar Pistorius to 13 years and 5 months in prison. Dropped by his sponsors, ruined, the fallen stadium idol sells his house to pay his lawyers.
Contacted by AFP, his lawyer Julian Knight did not wish to comment before the announcement of a final decision on his release. In the event of refusal, Pistorius may request a reconsideration of its request.