Oscar Pistorius, South Africa’s ex-Olympic runner, was granted early release from prison on Friday, a decade after fatally shooting his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in a crime that shocked the globe, prison officials said.
A parole board considering whether Pistorius, 37, was ready for social reintegration agreed to release him on January 5, according to the Department of Correctional Services.
“Mr. Pistorius will complete the remainder of the sentence in the system of community corrections and will be subjected to supervision in compliance with parole conditions until his sentence expires,” it added.
Earlier in the hearing, Steenkamp’s mother stated that she did not feel the ex-athlete was rehabilitated since he had not demonstrated genuine remorse.
“Rehabilitation requires someone to engage honestly with the full truth of their crime and the consequences thereof. Nobody can claim to have remorse if they’re not able to engage fully with the truth,” June Steenkamp said in a statement to the board.
Her spokeswoman, however, informed the board that she was not opposed to his being granted parole.
Pistorius’ second parole hearing in less than eight months was held at a correctional facility outside Pretoria, where he is currently imprisoned.
Pistorius lost his first bid in March when the board determined he had not completed the minimum prison period required to be released.
The Constitutional Court concluded last month that it was an error, paving the path for a new hearing.
Pistorius shot Steenkamp, a model, four times through the bathroom door of his ultra-secure Pretoria home in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013.
