South Africa’s Constitutional Court has ruled that convicted killer Oscar Pistorius has served more than half his sentence for the 2013 murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, which means he is technically eligible for parole.
It found that the former athlete, also known as the “Blade Runner”, passed the halfway mark on 21 March this year. Pistorius was sentenced to six years in 2016, but that sentence was increased to 13 years and five months in 2017.
A parole hearing was arranged for last March, but it collapsed after the correctional services department (DCS) said he hadn’t served half his sentence as required for parole.
On Monday, the Constitutional Court overturned that decision. The confusion stems from the fact that Pistorius’s time in prison has been broken up by appeals and by a period of house arrest.In a statement, the DCS said it would study the court’s ruling.
( story credit: Ed Habershon BBC News, Johannesburg)
