The prison administration announced on Friday that they will grant parole to Oscar Pistorius in January. He will be released on January 5. However, June Steenkamp, the mother of Reeva Steenkamp, criticized this decision. She stated that she doesn’t believe the South African athlete has recovered from shooting her daughter nearly 11 years ago.
Pistorius transitioned from a Paralympic champion, celebrated as a public hero, to a convicted killer, drawing global attention in hearings. On Friday, authorities granted parole to Oscar Pistorius, the Paralympic star who served nine years for killing his girlfriend.
In the unfortunate incident of 2013, Pistorius claimed he thought there was an intruder. He passionately denied any ill will towards Steenkamp and fired four shots through his home’s bathroom door. Despite being initially sentenced to 13 years and 5 months in prison, Pistorius has since been granted parole.
June Steenkamp expressed her concerns about other women’s safety after Pistorius’s release. Additionally, she described the irreplaceable void her daughter’s loss left in her life in a victim impact statement. Furthermore, a family spokesperson read her statement outside a parole board meeting. In the statement, she expressed forgiveness but also disbelief in Pistorius’s version of events.
June Steenkamp Worries about How Oscar Pistorius Behaves
According to Steenkamp, true rehabilitation requires facing the whole truth about one’s crime and its repercussions. Furthermore, she questioned Pistorius’s remorse, stating that genuine regret requires a sincere attempt to engage with the truth. She further emphasized the connection between rehabilitation and regret, arguing that those lacking true remorse are at significant risk of reoffending.
June Steenkamp declined to appear at the parole board meeting. She lacks the emotional strength to confront Pistorius once more, underscoring the lasting effects of her daughter’s untimely death.
She expressed worries about his history of violent and aggressive behavior. Furthermore, she highlighted her concerns regarding his past actions and questioned whether his rehabilitation adequately addressed any lingering issues.
The Man Who Became Superman: A Journey of Triumph and Challenges
Growing up as a middle child with divorced parents, he encountered challenges with his father Henke. However, he discovered unwavering support from close siblings. Unfortunately, his mother’s death at 15 left a lasting mark, a fact commemorated by a tattoo on his arm.
In 2004, a mere eight months into his track career, he shattered the 200m world record at the Athens Paralympics. Transitioning to the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, he achieved a triumphant moment by securing the 100m, 200m, and 400m titles. Subsequently, he courageously battled to join able-bodied athletics, navigating debates about the fairness of his custom-built carbon-fiber running blades.
In 2011, he made history as the first amputee to run at the World Championships. The next year marked another milestone for him. He accomplished historic feats, participating as the first double-amputee in both the Olympics and Paralympics.
TIME magazine hailed him in 2012 as the embodiment of global inspiration, recognizing his influence among the world’s most influential people.
Pistorius appeared on the cover less than a year later, showcasing the words “Man, Superman, Gunman.”
Blade Runner: Oscar Pistorius
The inspirational athlete, famed as the “Blade Runner” with carbon-fiber legs, took center stage in a globally recognized case. He took the spotlight as his story gained attention around the world.
During the trial involving Steenkamp’s death, Pistorius pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and a firearms-related offense. Furthermore, the prosecution asserted that the couple had a confrontation resulting in the intentional killing of Steenkamp. Pistorius, prone to emotional outbursts, faced scrutiny for his past behavior in court.
In 2014, Pistorius was initially found guilty of manslaughter and received a five-year sentence. Moreover, a year later, a higher court reclassified it as murder, giving him a six-year prison term.
The Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa responded to the prosecution’s appeal, citing a lenient punishment. They extended Pistorius’ sentence to 13 years and 5 months in 2017.
Oscar Pistorius: Risky Man Fond of Guns
Oscar Pistorius was born in Johannesburg in 1986 without calf bones. At eleven months, his parents made a life-changing decision to amputate his legs below the knee. Consequently, he embraced prosthetic legs.
At the 2012 London Olympics, Oscar Pistorius grabbed global attention with a 45.44-second sprint. He ran before 80,000 cheering fans and numerous camera flashes. This marked the historic first time a double-amputee competed in the Olympic Games, showcasing Pistorius’s triumph over adversity.
Pistorius, once a disabled child, transformed into a world-class athlete, embodying the spirit of sportsmanship and resilience. However, on Valentine’s Day 2013, a dark turn unfolded in Oscar Pistorius’s upscale Pretoria home. He fatally shot his 29-year-old model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, believing she was an intruder.
The subsequent 2014 trial unfolded in a windowless courtroom, revealing the brutal details of Steenkamp’s death. Pistorius faced a tarnished career, losing sponsors and selling his homes to cover legal costs. Initially convicted of manslaughter, his sentence was later upgraded to murder in 2016, leading to a six-year prison term.
The world witnessed Pistorius, formerly a celebrated athlete, sobbing as he faced the consequences of his actions. In 2017, the Supreme Court of Appeal increased his sentence to 13 years and five months, stating he lacked genuine remorse.
During his 2016 hearing, lawyer Barry Roux lamented, “He’s not only broke but he is broken, there is nothing left.” A decade after the tragic event, Pistorius obtained parole. In March, a mistake in calculating Pistorius’s minimum detention period delayed this development, as later found by the constitutional court.
