By Christian George
A South African former Paralympian, Oscar Pistorius who was convicted of murdering his girlfriend in 2016 has been denied parole.
The ex-paralympic star, according to his attorneys, had appealled for early release after serving half of his sentence.
It could be recalled that Pistorius was sentenced to prison in 2016 for killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
He was found guilty of murder for killing Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013 at his house.
Pistorius is a double amputee runner and triple Paralympic champion who made history by racing against competitors with normal limbs at the 2012 Olympics.
The former athlete had affirmed that he accidentally shot his girlfriend thinking that it was a threatening intruder.
It is worthy of note that in the early hours of February 14, 2013, Pistorius killed reality television actress and model Reeva Steenkamp, 29, by firing four shots from his legal 9 mm pistol through the door of a bathroom cubicle in his opulent Pretoria mansion.
The source adds that Barry and June Steenkamp, her parents, have said that they still think he killed her deliberately during a late-night confrontation out of rage.
Reeva Steenkamp’s father, Barry Steenkamp, and the former sprinter with an amputee recently spoke as a result of a required procedure called “victim-offender conversation.
This is an aspect of South Africa’s rehabilitative program, which brings victims and perpetrators of crimes together to try to find a resolution.
In a report by Reuters, he was denied parole because he has not reached the minimum detention period.
“Come August 2024, he would have reached the minimum detention period, then the (parole) board will make a decision.
“He will have to appear again next year. And then we look into the profile and decide terms of his placement. But for now, it was a matter of saying he has not served the minimum detention period,” prison spokesperson, Singabakho Nxumalo said.
Although, Reeva’s family had minimally opposed the parole Koen who spoke on their behalf said, “We miss Reeva terribly and will do so for the rest of our lives. We believe in justice and hope that it continues to prevail.”
