Oscar Pistorius to be freed on parole

Former Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius is to be freed from jail on parole, nearly 11 years after murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

He shot her multiple times through a bathroom door on Valentine’s Day in 2013, later claiming he mistook her for a burglar at their Pretoria home.

Pistorius, now 37, was sentenced by a South African court in 2016 to serve 13 years and five months in prison.

The parole board has set his release for 5 January 2024.

Once released, Pistorius will be monitored by the authorities until his sentence officially expires “just like all other parolees”, the Department of Correctional Services said on Friday. If he wants to move house or get a job during that time he will have to notify his parole officer.

Pistorius will also have to attend therapy sessions, according to the Steenkamp family’s spokesman.