Oscar Pistorious Hearing – Parole Denied

A South African parole board will hold a hearing to consider whether former Paralympics star Oscar Pistorius can be released from jail.

He has so far served half of his 13-year sentence for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

If he is granted parole, Pistorius, now aged 36, could be freed within a matter of days.

Oscar Pistorious Hearing

However, arriving for the hearing, Ms Steenkamp’s mother, June, said she did not believe Pistorius was remorseful.

The six-time Paralympic gold medallist has expressed his deep remorse for killing his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day in 2013, but continues to maintain he shot her by mistake, believing she was a robber.

“[It’ll be] very hard to be in the same room as him. I don’t believe his story. I don’t believe Oscar is remorseful… or rehabilitated,” Mrs Steenkamp said on Friday morning.

The hearing is taking place at Atteridgeville prison, a low-security facility in rolling fields just outside the city of Pretoria.

The former amputee sprinter recently met Barry Steenkamp, Reeva’s father, as part of a mandatory process known as “victim-offender dialogue”.

But the Steenkamp’s lawyer, Tania Koen, said they still felt Pistorius had intended to kill their daughter – and her death was a life sentence for them.

“For them, it’s 10 missed birthdays, it’s 10 Mother’s Days, Father’s Days, Christmases – so time hasn’t healed for them,” she told reporters at the prison.

“They don’t feel that he should be released.”

Pistorius was initially found guilty of culpable homicide, but on appeal he was convicted of murder, on the grounds that he must have known his actions – shooting three times through a locked bathroom door in his Pretoria home – would lead to the death of whoever was on the other side.

“I think he’s probably got an arguable case [for parole],” said Mannie Witz, a defence attorney, who also noted that the Steenkamps could challenge a decision to grant Pistorius parole in court, potentially delaying his release for many months.

The televised trial of the man once dubbed “the Blade Runner”, because of the ground-breaking prosthetic legs he wore in both Paralympic and Olympic track races, attracted huge global attention.

Culled from BBC

Oscar Pistorius Parool

Oscar Pistorius faces a parool hearing that will decide if he will be freed from prison, a decade after he shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Oscar Pistorius, now 36, has served half of his 13-year sentence and attended a meeting with Reeva Steenkamp’s father as part of South Africa’s restorative justice programme last year.

The former Olympic and Paralympic athlete, known as the Blade Runner, has applied for parole and could be freed from prison within weeks after serving half of his 13-year-five-month sentence.

A parole board, which will start its hearing today, must determine if Pistorius will be allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence on licence at his uncle’s home in South African capital city, Pretoria.

A spokesperson for the Department of Correctional Services said: “The board must determine whether the purpose of imprisonment has been served.”

A decision is expected to be announced in days or weeks.

His six-month televised trial in 2014 caught the attention of viewers all over the world – less than two years after he made history at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Culled from Sky News

Where is Oscar Pistorius today

Oscar Pistorius will find out today whether he will be released from prison early, a decade after he murdered his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp. 

Ms Steenkamp’s mother, June, will tell the parole hearing that she believes Oscar Pistorius should remain in jail, and said to reporters as she arrived this morning: ‘[I] don’t believe his story!’

Former Olympic and Paralympic athlete Pistorius shot dead Ms Steenkamp, 29, in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013, firing four times through the bathroom door of his Pretoria house, in a killing that shocked the world.

Pistorius was found guilty of murder and given a 13-year jail sentence in 2017 after a lengthy trial, several appeals and a previous sentence of six years, which prosecutors described as ‘shockingly lenient’.

He is now eligible for parole, and the board is likely to make a decision today after hearing representations at Atteridgeville prison on the outskirts of Pretoria, where the 36-year-old is being held.

‘We have been advised that there will be a decision later today,’ Tania Koen, a lawyer representing the family of Ms Steenkamp said outside the correctional facility as the parole hearing was taking place.

Ms Steenkamp’s mother, June, arrived shortly before 10.00am (9.00 GMT) to make oral and written statements on behalf of herself and her husband, Barry, expressing their belief that Pistorius has not been rehabilitated and should not be released. 

Speaking to reporters outside, June, who is from Blackburn, Lancashire, said she was ‘very nervous’ and that it was ‘very hard to be in the same room’ as her daughter’s killer.

Ms Koen said it will be particularly tough for the heartbroken mother, as she has not confronted her daughter’s killer since 2016. 

‘It’s a very traumatic experience, as you can imagine… It’s painful June has to face Oscar Pistorius again this morning. He is the killer of their daughter, for them, it’s a life sentence.’

‘For them, it’s 10 missed birthdays, 10 Mother’s Days, 10 Father’s Days, 10 Christmases.’ 

Ms Steenkamp’s parents have no power to block it as criminals are automatically eligible for parole after serving half of their sentence.

‘They don’t feel that he should be released, they feel he has shown no remorse and he’s not rehabilitated, because if he had been he would have come clean and told the true story of what happened that night.’

‘They believe he intended to kill Reeva… unless he comes clean, they don’t feel that he has rehabilitated.’

‘They have no expectations,’ Koen previously said of the Steenkamps ahead of the hearing. ‘The law must take its course’.

Pistorius had pleaded not guilty and denied that he killed Ms Steenkamp in a rage, saying he mistook her for a burglar – a version of events her family sees as untrue. 

Comprising of 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.

Offenders 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 before it was extended in 2017.

Sources say Pistorius has been affected by his time in custody, and is now a shadow of his former self. 

Oscar Pistorious could now leave Atteridgeville Correctional Centre in Pretoria as early as today if his parole is granted. 

The independent parole board must determine, among other issues, whether Pistorius is at risk of committing similar crimes in the future, prison spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said.

It will also consider his disciplinary record, training programmes in prison and his physical and mental state, prison officials said.

Of all the factors, legal experts consider the behavior of Pistorius while in prison as likely to be the most important consideration.

His lawyer, Julian Knight, has previously said Pistorius has been a ‘model prisoner.’

Mr Knight said he would not comment until after a decision on the parole is made today.

Pistorius met Barry Steenkamp in June last year, in a process authorities said aims to ensure inmates ‘acknowledge the harm they have caused to their victims and the society at large’.

But Ms Steenkamp’s father came away from the meeting dissatisfied and ’emotional’, his lawyer said. 

‘It was traumatic for both Mr Pistorius and Barry, it was painful, really painful,’ said Ms Koen today.

When asked whether Barry got the sense that Oscar had any remorse, Ms Koen said: ‘No, that’s why we’re here today’.

Barry did not travel to Pretoria from his home in Port Elizabeth today because of poor health. 

His wife said the almost 80-year-old ‘is not well’ and that he ‘can’t walk anymore’.

The board will consider whether Pistorius has been rehabilitated or still poses a danger to society, as well as his conduct in prison, according to the correctional services.

The hearing will be closed to the media.

The case was particularly high profile as the famous South African athlete had just a year earlier been the first double amputee to compete in an able-bodied Olympics, while Ms Steenkamp was a successful model and TV star.

After taking part in London 2012, Pistorius was then was a sporting icon. who was courted by sponsors and admired worldwide for overcoming the difficulties associated with his disability.

But it all came crashing down after the killing, with the world bearing witness to his downfall as his trial was televised.

Parole decisions are usually known the same day of the hearing or a day later, but the correctional services department has suggested that in Pistorius’s case the decision may not be taken on the same day.

If denied, the board is likely to ask Pistorius to reapply for parole at a later stage.

Oscar Pistorius denied parole

Disgraced South African Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been denied parole, the lawyer for Reeva Steenkamp’s parents told CNN Friday.

“I can confirm that the parole board has made the decision, parole has been denied and they will be convening in a year’s time to consider Oscar Pistorius for parole again,” Tania Koen told CNN after the parole hearing.

Pistorius was approved for parole consideration after serving more than half of his 13-year sentence. But Steenkamp’s parents opposed an early release, their lawyer Tania Koen told CNN ahead of the parole hearing which took place in the Pretoria prison where he is serving his sentence.

The former Olympic sprinter shot his partner four times through the bathroom door of his house in 2013, denying that he killed her in a fit of anger and saying instead he had mistaken her for an intruder.

Koen said Pistorius has told “various versions” of what happened and has “never clarified” why he shot the “final shot” which killed Steenkamp.

According to South African law, inmates can be considered for parole after serving half of their sentence if they meet conditions, like good behavior in prison.

In 2018, the athlete’s father Henke Pistorius told the UK’s Times newspaper that he ran bible classes and prayer groups for prisoners, including the jail’s most feared gang leader.

To be eligible for parole, Pistorius had to participate in South Africa’s “Restorative Justice” process, which gives offenders the opportunity to “acknowledge and take responsibility for their actions.”

The athlete – once feted as an inspirational figure after competing in the 2012 Olympics – became the center of a trial that was followed around the world.

During the trial, Pistorius pleaded not guilty to one charge of murder and a firearms charge associated with Steenkamp’s killing.

Prosecutors argued her killing was deliberate and that the shooting happened after the couple had an argument.

He frequently broke down in court and his past behavior was closely scrutinized.

Pistorius was convicted of manslaughter in 2014 and sentenced to five years. But a higher court overturned the conviction and changed it to murder a year later, increasing his sentence to six years in prison.

The ruling was appealed by prosecutors who claimed the sentence was too lenient. Pistorius’ sentence was increased to 13 years and five months by South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal in 2017.

Culled from MailOnline

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