March 31, (THEWILL) – Oscar Pistorius, a former Paralympics star and convicted murderer, has been denied parole after seeking early release from prison, a decade after killing his girlfriend.
The former South African athlete has, so far, served half of his 13-year sentence for murdering his then-girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day in 2013 and was hoping to be freed from prison on Friday.
However, the 36-year-old lost his appeal and the Department of Correctional Services confirmed his parole has been denied.
It said the inmate did not complete the minimum detention period as ruled by the Supreme Court of Appeal and will be able to reapply for parole in another year.
Before the hearing, Reeva’s mother, June, said Pistorius was not remorseful or rehabilitated.
The prison authorities said the matter would be considered again in 2024.
Pistorius was last up for parole in 2021, but that request was denied on technical grounds as he had not met with Steenkamp’s family as required under South Africa’s parole rules.
Pistorius shot Reeva, his girlfriend of two months, four times, through a locked bathroom door with a 9mm pistol he kept under his bed.
The prosecution said she had gone there to escape him following an argument while Pistorius insisted he didn’t hear her get out of bed and mistook her for a burglar.
It was later revealed that the once well-loved Olympic star had been a gun fanatic, who once fired a gun in a restaurant and had 10 weapons, including an AK-47.
His six-month televised trial in 2014, less than two years after he made history at the London 2012 Olympic Games, caught the attention of viewers all over the world.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
