Can you give me information about Oscar Pistorius?
Oscar Pistorius is a former professional sprinter and a convicted murderer.
In 1986, he was born in Johannesburg, South Africa with a condition called fibular hemimelia, which means he was born without the fibula bone in both of his legs. Due to this, at 11 months old, he underwent amputations below his knees.
Pistorius became well-known as a pro runner who used prosthetic blades, leading to him being called Blade Runner.
In 2004, he participated in the Summer Paralympics in Athens and achieved third place in the 100m race. He later won the 200m race with a world record time of 21.97 seconds. In 2012 at the London Olympics, Pistorius made history as the first amputee runner to compete.
However, his athletic abilities were soon overshadowed in February 2013 when he fatally shot his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, at his residence in Pretoria, South Africa.
Who is the person named Reeva Steenkamp?
Reeva Steenkamp was model and paralegal. She was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1983. After school she studied law at the University of Port Elizabeth, which became a part of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, where she graduated with a law degree in 2005.
Following her experience as a paralegal, she achieved success in the modeling industry, gracing the pages of numerous magazines and representing brands like Avon cosmetics and Sivana Diamonds.
In 2012, she began a romantic relationship with Pistorius.
What was Steenkamp’s fate?
On Valentine’s Day in 2013, Pistorius shot her during the early hours by firing four shots through the locked door of his bedroom toilet. He later claimed to have mistaken her for an intruder.
During a TV interview, he stated that he thought someone had broken into his home and his immediate reaction was to grab his gun and hobble towards the bathroom before shooting.
What occurred during the court proceedings following Steenkamp’s passing?
In 2014, Pistorius was found not guilty of murder and was instead convicted of culpable homicide, which is similar to manslaughter. He was sentenced to five years in jail.
In October 2014, he was placed under house arrest to complete his sentence at his uncle’s residence in an affluent area of Pretoria.
However, in December of that year, the highest court of appeals reversed the decision made by the lower judge and declared Pistorius guilty of murder. They reasoned that he should have been aware of the potential for causing harm when he discharged the gun.
In 2016, he was sentenced to six years in jail, which was less than the minimum term of 15 years requested by prosecutors.
In 2017, the highest court increased Pistorius’ murder sentence to 13 years and five months, more than double the original term. This decision was made after state prosecutors argued that the initial jail time was excessively lenient.
What occurred today?
The correctional services department has verified that Pistorius will receive parole and will be freed from prison in January.
In March, he was denied parole because he had not served the minimum detention period necessary for parole consideration.
In October, the constitutional court stated that Pistorius had completed half of his sentence by March 21 of this year. This makes him eligible for parole, as his sentence was retroactively dated to July 2016 rather than November 2017.
Source: theguardian.com
