Oscar Pistorius could be released from jail ‘within weeks’

Oscar Pistorius is looking at a potential early release from prison “within weeks” after serving just half of his sentence, according to a report.

The disgraced Paralympian was sentenced to 13 years and five months in jail for the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, at his South Africa home in 2013.

A parole board will consider an early release for Pistorius on March 31, just over 10 years after the killing.

“We have been advised by the parole board that the hearing will take place on the 31 March, 2023,” his lawyer Julian Knight told AFP. “It’s an internal process.”

The late model’s parents, Barry and June Steenkamp, are unable to appeal against the decision as all criminals become eligible for parole after completing half of their sentence.

Last summer, Pistorius spoke to Barry Steenkamp as part of a legal formality in South Africa when seeking parole.

In late 2020, Pistorius’ longtime friend said that he was begging for her family’s forgiveness.

“I want to tell them I’m sorry,” he said, according to pal Bill Schroder.

On Valentine’s Day in 2013, the double-amputee Paralympic gold medalist shot Reeva Steenkamp, a 29-year-old reality TV star, through a bathroom door inside his home in Pretoria.

The prosecution alleged that Pistorius intentionally shot his girlfriend four times after the couple had an argument that day. But Pistorius claimed he woke up and fired off the bullets because he mistook the model for an intruder.

A prosecutor said in 2014 that the former runner offered $34,000 to Reeva Steenkamp’s family after he killed her, but they turned it down because they did not want to accept “blood money.”

Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide in 2014 and was sentenced to five years in jail but was cleared of the murder charge.

He appealed the conviction and was able to serve house arrest at his uncle’s mansion in the South African capital of Pretoria in 2015.

Pistorius was later found guilty of murder during the appeal and was sentenced to six additional years in prison.

Pistorius competed in each Paralympic Games from 2004 to 2012 including the Athens Olympics, where he became the first amputee to compete in the Games.

He won six gold medals over the course of the three Olympics.