Disabled sprinter Oscar Pistorius is home from prison. The mother of the murdered woman asks if he served enough time

Four-time Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius was sent to prison for 13 years in 2017 for the murder of his girlfriend. On Friday, January 5, the South African athlete was released on parole.

Thirty-seven-year-old Pistorius was born with a congenital defect in his lower limbs. His fibulae were missing and because of this, both legs were amputated below the knees. He was not yet one year old at the time.

He lost his lower limbs at an early age, but perhaps because of this he was able to cope with his handicap much better than if his legs had been amputated as an adult.

He took up sports and played rugby, water polo and tennis in high school. He was able to play sports thanks to special prostheses that partially replaced his missing lower limbs.

Oscar Pistorius was competing against able-bodied athletes

But his greatest successes came in athletics and in 2004 he won his first gold medal in the 200 metres at the Paralympics in Athens. Pistorius confirmed his sprinter’s qualities four years later at the Beijing Paralympic Games, where he reigned supreme in the 100, 200 and 400 metres.

In Beijing, Oscar Pistorius, nicknamed the “blade runner”, ran the 200 metres in 21.67 seconds. For the record, gold medallist Usain Bolt ran the same distance in 19.3 seconds at the Beijing Olympics.

He beat his “legless” teammate by just two seconds at the distance. Oscar Pistorius competed at the 2011 World Championships in Tegu with non-disabled athletes and reached the semi-finals of the 400 metres.

On Valentine’s Day, he shot his girlfriend

It’s hard to say what prompted the famous athlete to shoot his girlfriend and model Reeva Steenkamp at his home in Pretoria on Valentine’s Day 2013. Pistorius defended himself by saying he thought his companion was a robber and killed her by mistake.

But prosecutors did not believe this and charged the famous athlete with premeditated murder. Pistorius was facing life in prison. According to the Afrikaans newspaper de Beeld, Pistorius tried to save his mortally wounded companion. However, the newspaper also mentioned that the quarrels between the two partners were no exception, as confirmed by the police.

In the courtroom, the South African athlete showed remorse and cried loudly, but he did not soften the judge, who sent him to prison for thirteen and a half years in 2017.

He was released earlier this year

As early as November last year, the decision was made that Oscar Pistorius would be released on parole at the start of the new year, and on Friday 5 January he did indeed leave the prison gates.

According to the Sky News website, the former athlete will be under the supervision of a correctional services officer. He will not be allowed to leave Pretoria, will attend anger management therapy and will also have to perform community service.

June Steenkamp, mother of the murdered woman, asks: ‘ Was there justice for Reeva? Did Oscar serve enough time? There can never be justice if your loved one never comes back. Even serving time won’t bring Reeva back,” Reeva Steenkamp’s mum told the Sky News website.

Source: De Bleed, Sky News