South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius could be released from prison early on Friday, a decade after he killed his girlfriend in a crime that shocked the world.
Pistorius, 37, is due to appear before a parole board at a prison outside Pretoria where he is currently being held.
After a hearing, the board will review the former athlete’s profile and decide whether “he is suitable or not for social reintegration,” the corrections department said.
It will be Pistorius’ second shot at parole in less than eight months.
He lost a first bid in March when the council found he had not completed the minimum detention period required to be let out.
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The Constitutional Court last month ruled that was wrong, paving the way for a new hearing.
Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp, a model, in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013 by shooting four times through the bathroom door of his high-security Pretoria home.
Known worldwide as ‘Blade Runner’ for his carbon fiber prosthetics, he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2017 after a lengthy trial and numerous appeals.
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He had pleaded not guilty and denied killing Steenkamp in a fit of rage, saying he mistook her for a burglar.
As part of his rehabilitation, Pistorius met Steenkamp’s parents last year, in a process authorities said was aimed at ensuring the prisoners “recognise the harm they have caused”.
But in March, Steenkamp’s parents opposed an early release, saying they did not believe the former sprinter had told the truth about what happened and had shown no remorse.
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“I don’t believe his story,” Steenkamp’s mother June said at the time.
Steenkamp’s father, Barry, died in September aged 80.
June Steenkamp will not attend the hearing on Friday, her lawyer Tanya Cohen told AFP, adding that the proceedings had been “emotionally very taxing” for her client.
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A lawyer will read a victim impact statement on her behalf, Koen added, declining to comment on whether the widow will again oppose parole.
Offenders in South Africa are automatically eligible for parole consideration after serving half of their sentence.
The board, usually made up of corrections officers and community members, assesses whether an inmate has been rehabilitated or is still a danger to society.
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This will take into account the seriousness of the offense as well as Pistorius’ behavior behind bars.
“I fully believe that the parole board will apply its opinion based on the information given to it,” Cohen said, adding that she did not believe the hearing would be “just a formality” with Pistorius up for early release. .
The panel would be different than the one that heard the case in March, he said.
Pistorius’ lawyers said they hoped the delay caused by the mistake made in calculating the minimum detention period earlier this year would be taken into account and the former athlete would be granted “immediate release” on Friday.
Normally, it can take weeks before an inmate who has been granted parole is actually released.
Release usually comes with certain conditions, such as monitoring by authorities and reporting to a community correctional facility.
If refused, the offender has the right to appeal to the courts for a review.