PUNCH
The double-amputee Paralympic and Olympic sprinter, Oscar Pistorius, was released from prison on parole on Friday, more than a decade after shooting his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in a killing that shocked the world, CNN reports.
A parole board granted Pistorius’ petition in November on the grounds that he had served half of his 13-year sentence for shooting Steenkamp, making him eligible according to South African law.
A spokesperson for South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services, Singabakho Nxumalo, told CNN that Pistorius was released from Atteridgeville Correctional Centre, west of Pretoria, on Friday morning. He will be subject to parole conditions until his sentence expires in 2029.
In a statement Friday, Steenkamp’s mother said her only desire following Pistorius’ release is that she would be allowed to live her remaining years “in peace”.
