South Africa’s Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius has been denied parole in the Reeva Steenkamp murder case on Friday, March 31. Steenkamp, a model and girlfriend of Pistorius was killed by in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013, firing four times through the bathroom door of his ultra-secure Pretoria house, in a killing that shocked the world.
Lawyers for Steenkamp’s family arrived at the correctional facility on the outskirts of the capital, where the hearing was taking place, amid a heavy media presence.
“We were… advised at this point in time that it has been denied and it will be considered again in one year’s time,” Tania Koen, a lawyer for the victim’s family, told AFP.
The Department of correctional services said Pistorius had not completed the minimum detention period required for parole. Pistorius was seeking parole in the case, a decade after he killed Steenkamp having likely served a minimum period behind the bars.
“They don’t feel that he should be released. They feel that he has shown no remorse,” June Steenkamp, Reeva’s mother told reporters outside the prison earlier.
The Department of Correctional Services said in a statement the “reason provided is that the inmate did not complete the minimum Detention Period”.
Comprising at least three people, including prison services and community members, the board is to determine whether the purpose of imprisonment has been served, according to the Department of Correctional Services.
Known worldwide as the “Blade Runner” for his carbon-fibre prosthetics, Pistorius was found guilty of murder and given a 13-year jail sentence in 2017 after a lengthy trial and several appeals.
Pistorius had pleaded not guilty and denied that he killed Steenkamp in a rage, saying he mistook her for a burglar. Prisoners in South Africa are automatically eligible for parole consideration after serving half of their sentence. Pistorius has served more than half, having started his term in 2014. His lawyer Julian Knight said he would not comment until after a decision on the parole was made.
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
