PRETORIA: South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius was denied parole on Friday after seeking early release from prison, a decade after he shot and killed his girlfriend, lawyers said.
“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.
Once the darling of the Paralympic movement for pushing for greater recognition and acceptance of disabled athletes, South African Pistorius shot dead Steenkamp, a model and law student, in his bathroom on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
The athlete, known as “Blade Runner” for his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs, went from public hero to convicted murderer in a trial that drew worldwide interest.
Pistorius has become eligible for parole after serving half of his sentence. Steenkamp’s family oppose his bid and will give verbal and written statements at the hearing on the impact the murder had on them, their lawyer Tania Koen told Reuters.
“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.
Once the darling of the Paralympic movement for pushing for greater recognition and acceptance of disabled athletes, South African Pistorius shot dead Steenkamp, a model and law student, in his bathroom on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
The athlete, known as “Blade Runner” for his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs, went from public hero to convicted murderer in a trial that drew worldwide interest.
Pistorius has become eligible for parole after serving half of his sentence. Steenkamp’s family oppose his bid and will give verbal and written statements at the hearing on the impact the murder had on them, their lawyer Tania Koen told Reuters.