South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius, who was sentenced to 13 years in prison for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend, has asked prison authorities to consider his request for parole, his lawyer said on Wednesday.
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The former athlete with a below-knee amputee served more than half his sentence in July, making him eligible for parole. Proceedings in South Africa require the convict to speak to the victim or their family, which he did by meeting Reeva Steenkamp’s parents in early July.
Oscar Pistorius was found guilty in 2015 of killing the model on Valentine’s Day by shooting four times through the bathroom door of his ultra-secure home in Pretoria. He has always denied the murder and said he was convinced a thief broke into his house.
His lawyer, Julian Knight, told AFP that Mr Pistorius, now 35, is seeking justice to force authorities to call a hearing on his parole application.
“This is a motion to compel the parole board to agree to a hearing on his parole request,” the attorney said. “It doesn’t mean he should be on parole, but that his application should be considered,” he added.
The papers were filed “a few months ago” and no court date has been set, he said, declining to give further details.
As part of his parole request, Oscar Pistorius was transferred from a prison in the capital, Pretoria, to a penitentiary in the south of the country in November 2021.
Nicknamed “Blade Runner,” he became a global star in 2012 by competing with the able-bodied in the 400m at the London Olympics.