APA-Pretoria (South Africa) South Africa’s Ministry of Correctional Services parole board has refused to grant convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius parole on the basis that he had not served a minimum detention period.
The Paralympian appeared before the board in Pretoria on Friday to seek parole 10 years after shooting and killing his then-girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
Pistorius was found guilty of murder and given a 13-year jail sentence in 2017 after a lengthy trial and several appeals.
He is accused of killing Steenkamp after he shot four times into a bathroom door of his upmarket home in Johannesburg, claiming he mistook Reeva for a burglar.
Pistorius’ parole hearing should never have gone ahead following a clarification order from the Supreme Court of Appeal indicating that the convict had not yet completed the required minimum detention period, according to the Ministry of Correctional Services.
Offenders in South Africa are automatically eligible for parole consideration after serving half of their sentence.
He is due for another parole board hearing in August 2024.
NM/jn/APA