AceBreakingNews – South African former Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius has been released on parole, nearly 11 years after murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in a crime that shocked a nation long inured to violence against women.

Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published: Jan.05: 2024: Reuters News Agency: TELEGRAM Ace Daily News Link https://t.me/+PuI36tlDsM7GpOJe

Pistorius — dubbed “Blade Runner” for his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs — shot the 29-year-old model dead through a locked bathroom door on Valentine’s Day in 2013.

South Africa’s correctional services department said on Friday Pistorius was now at home.

“The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is able to confirm that Oscar Pistorius is a parolee, effectively from 5 January 2024,” DCS said in a statement.

“He was admitted into the system of Community Corrections and is now at home.”

Pistorius has repeatedly said he mistook Ms Steenkamp for an intruder when he fired four shots into the bathroom at his Pretoria home, and he launched multiple appeals against his conviction on that basis.

Pistorius, now 37, has spent about eight and a half years in jail as well as seven months under home arrest before he was sentenced for murder.

A parole board in November decided he could be freed on January 5, 2024, after completing more than half his sentence.

A monitoring official will keep an eye on him until his sentence expires in December 2029, whom Pistorius will have to inform if he seeks job opportunities or moves to a new address.

He is also required to continue therapy on anger management and attend sessions on gender-based violence as part of his parole conditions, a lawyer for the Ms Steenkamp family said in November.

Local media expect him to live at the home of his uncle Arnold Pistorius in a wealthy Pretoria suburb.Pistorius killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, at their home on Valentine’s Day in 2013.

‘We, who remain behind, are the ones serving a life sentence’: Family reacts 

In a statement shared by the Steenkamp family lawyer on Friday, Reeva’s mother June 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,” June Steenkamp, added saying her only desire was to be allowed to live in peace after Pistorius’s release on parole.

She said the conditions imposed by the parole board had affirmed her belief in the South African justice system as they send out a clear message that gender-based violence is taken seriously.

A lawyer for Pistorius did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his release on Friday.Loading…

Ms Steenkamp’s parents gave an interview to a UK newspaper in February 2023 for the 10th anniversary of their daughter’s death.

They said they had not forgiven Pistorius, still believed he shot her intentionally in anger and wanted him to stay in prison for the rest of his life.

June Steenkamp attended Pistorius’s first parole hearing in March, 2023 to oppose his release but did not attend the hearing in November.

Ms Steenkamp’s father, Barry Steenkamp, died in September, 2023.

South Africans have shown mixed reactions to his release, with some feeling he has served his time, while others see his punishment as too lenient.

“He paid his price. Let him rebuild his life,” a local resident told reporters gathered outside his uncle’s home on Friday morning.

Editor says …Sterling Publishing & Media Service Agency is not responsible for the content of external site or from any reports, posts or links and thanks for following as always appreciate every like, reblog or retweet and comment thank you

@acenewsservices