Who is Oscar Pistorius: From the “blade runner” to the murder of his girlfriend

The trial of ‘Blade Runner’ Oscar Pistorius garnered worldwide attention in 2014 when he was convicted of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Pistorius has now served half his sentence and on Friday re-submitted a request for parole after a similar request was rejected in March.

The new attempt to get Pistorius out of prison has been successful and it has been decided that the former Paralympic champion will be released on parole in January. almost 11 years after Steenkamp’s murder.

The murder of Riva Steenkamp

On the morning of February 14, 2013, Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend at his home in Pretoria, South Africa.

Steenkamp, ​​29, was shot by Pistorius while on the toilet.

Pistorius has always insisted the shooting was a mistake, claiming he thought an intruder was in the home and feared for his safety.

He shot four times from behind a locked toilet door, injuring his partner in the head, hip and arm.

Pistorius claimed in court that it wasn’t until he hit the door with a cricket bat that he realized who was behind it. The prosecution argued that the killing was premeditated and Pistorius shot Steenkamp after an argument.

Their argument was based on the fact that Pistorius he was wearing his prosthetic legs at the time of the shooting, stating that the time it took him to put them on was evidence of premeditation.

Pistorius denied wearing his prosthetic limbs, a claim confirmed by a ballistics expert’s analysis.

Change of charges and penalties

Pistorius was initially found not guilty of murder and instead convicted of culpable homicidethe UK equivalent of manslaughter.

He was sentenced to five years in 2014 and was eventually released and placed under house arrest.

In 2015 his conviction was overturned when South Africa’s highest court of appeal found him guilty of murder and he was sentenced to six years in prison, which was later increased to 13 years and five months in 2017 after the sentence was deemed “shockingly too lenient”. on appeal.

Who is Oscar Pistorius?

Oscar Pistorius is a former Olympic and Paralympic athlete.

He was born in South Africa in 1986 and at the age of 11 months, both of his legs were amputated below the knee.
He ran with prosthetic blades, hence the nickname Blade Runner.

Until 2013, he was mostly known for his athletic abilities, winning gold at the Paralympics and making history as the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics.