JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
South African Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, who was sentenced last year to five years in jail for culpable homicide, will be released from prison on Friday after serving only ten months behind bars.
In a statement, the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB) of the prison in which Pistorius is being held announced that Pistorius would be released and placed under “correctional supervision”, or house arrest.
The 28-year-old double amputee athlete was convicted last year of shooting and killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, at his Pretoria home on February 14, 2013.
Pistorius fired four shots at the closed door of his bathroom, instantly killing Steenkamp, whom he says he mistook for an intruder.
According to South African law, those convicted under a specific section of the country’s Criminal Procedures Act -- as Pistorius was -- are entitled to be released from prison after serving out one sixth of their jail term.
Pistorius will serve out the remaining part of his sentence under house arrest (also known as “correctional supervision”) at his uncle’s luxurious Pretoria home.
Although the athlete will no longer be behind bars, his parole conditions are tough: he will not be allowed to leave the house except to attend church services.
Popularly known as the “Blade Runner”, Pistorius was born without fibulas in both of his legs. Before completing his first year, he had to have both his lower limbs amputated.
In 2004, Pistorius shot to fame at the age of 17 after winning a gold medal at the Athens Paralympics Games. He made history in 2012 when he became the first amputee runner to compete in the Olympics.
