By: Natasha Archary
Convicted murderer, Oscar Pistorius was eligible for parole in March 2023.
This according to the Constitutional Court who made a ruling on Monday, 09 October that Pistorius should be granted direct access to be placed on parole.
The former paralympian who was initially sentenced to six years in 2014, for shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013, had his sentence increased to 13-years and 5-months by the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2017.
Pistorius who has been pushing for parole since 2021, had according to the ConCourt, effectively served half of his sentence on 21 March 2021.
The ConCourt said Pistorius’ plea for parole was met with no opposition as all five of the State’s respondents withdrew their opposition and filed an explanatory affidavit.
Therefore the ConCourt was satisfied that direct access, which the state respondents did not resist, should be granted.
“The applicant and the state respondents agree that, on a proper interpretation of the Supreme Court of Appeals’ judgement delivered on 24 November 2017 (main judgement), the substituted sentence of 13-years and 5-months imposed by the Supreme Court of Appeal is to be calculated from 06 July 2016, the date on which the High Court imposed the sentence against the National Director of Public Prosecutions appealed.”
ConCourt ordered that Pistorius be granted parole as follows:
- It is declared that, on proper interpretation of the Supreme Court of Appeal’s judgement delivered on 24 November 2017, and in terms of the subsequent order of the Supreme Court of Appeal issued on 21 January 2021, the sentence imposed by the Supreme Court of Appeal was, in terms of section 282 of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977, antedated to 06 July 2016.
In view of the respondents’ withdrawal of their opposition, the Court has decided not to award costs.
Reeva’s parents Barry and June were against Pistorius being released on parole, saying the 36-year old did not exhibit any remorse for killing their daughter.
Barry Steenkamp died at the age of 80 on 14 September without getting any closure from Pistorius over his daughter’s brutal death.
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