Former South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, jailed in 2014 for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, ​​will get another chance at parole on Friday, Reuters reported.

Oscar PistoriusPhoto: Anja Niedringhaus/AP/Profimedia

Known as “The Blade Runner” because of his carbon fiber prosthetics, Pistorius went from Paralympic hero status to convicted murderer at a world-famous hearing a decade ago.

Pistorius fatally shot Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013.

In 2014, he was initially sentenced to five years in prison for manslaughter, but in late 2015 the Supreme Court of Appeal found him guilty of murder following an appeal by prosecutors.

He was jailed again in 2016 for six years following a High Court sentence that was less than half the minimum 15-year sentence sought by prosecutors.

In 2017, the Supreme Court more than doubled the manslaughter sentence to 13 years and five months, saying the six-year sentence was “shockingly lenient”.

A spokesman for South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services said the parole board would review Pistorius’ case at a hearing on Friday to decide whether he should be released on parole.

“The CSPB will decide whether the detainee is eligible for social reintegration,” said Correctional Service spokesman Singabako Nxumalo.

Pistorius’ lawyer Konrad Dormel told Reuters the hearing would take place at Atteridgeville Correctional Center near the capital Pretoria, but declined to comment on his expectations for the hearing.

Usually, the parole board considers several factors before an inmate is granted parole.

These include the nature of the offences, their likelihood of re-offending, their behavior in prison, their physical and mental condition and the potential threats they may face on release.

In March, Pistorius was denied parole after it was decided he had not served the minimum prison term required to be considered for parole.

However, the Constitutional Court ruled in October that Pistorius had served half of his sentence by March 21 this year, meaning he was eligible for parole after his sentence was backdated to July 2016 instead of November 2017. .ro.