Oscar Pistorius Released From Jail - To serve Rest sentence under house arrest

Jailed sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been freed from prison after serving just 11 months of his five-year sentence, officials have said. ...

Jailed sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been freed from prison after serving just 11 months of his five-year sentence, officials have said.

The Paralympian star was released a day earlier than planned and is now expected to spend the remainder of his sentence at his uncle's home in Pretoria.

His lawyers successfully argued that he should be released on house arrest after serving just under a year of the sentence he was handed for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

 

 Released on house arrest: Jailed sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been freed from prison after serving just 11 months of his five-year prison sentence, officials have said

Pistorius, 28, was initially due to be freed in August, but intervention by the minister of justice led to a series of delays before a parole board decision last Thursday.

However, he still faces an appeal in the Supreme Court next month, which if successful, will upgrade his charge to murder and see him re-jailed for a minimum of 15 years.

In a trial that made headlines around the world, Pistorius was jailed last year for killing Steenkamp, a model and law graduate.

He was found guilty of culpable homicide - a charge equivalent to manslaughter - after saying he shot her through a locked bathroom door because he mistook her for an intruder.

Prosecutors insist that he deliberately killed her after an argument. He faces a further test on November 3 when prosecutors appeal to South Africa's Supreme Court for a murder conviction and a tougher sentence.

 

 The Paralympian star's lawyers successfully argued that he should be released on house arrest after serving a year of his five-year jail sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp (pictured) in 2013

Pistorius was released a day earlier than planned and is now expected to spend the remainder of his sentence at his uncle's home in Pretoria (pictured)

A spokesman from the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre said Pistorius was released on Monday evening, a day earlier than had been expected.

Correctional services department spokesman Manelisi Wolela said in a statement: 'Oscar Pistorius was placed under correctional supervision tonight.

'The handling of the actual placement is an operational matter of the local management, and how they handle it is their prerogative that is carried out in the best interest of all parties concerned.'

The athlete's parole conditions include him undergoing psychotherapy and undertaking a period of community service. Pistorius, a gun lover, will also be subject to firearms prohibitions.

 

 

Is Justice justly served in this case in your own opinion?