Oscar Pistorius up for early release, 10 years after killing girlfriend

JOHANNESBURG: South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius might be released from prison this week, a decade after he killed his girlfriend in a crime that gripped the world.

A parole board is to decide whether Pistorius should be let out early, after a hearing in Pretoria on Friday (Mar 31).

"The board must determine whether the purpose of imprisonment has been served," said Department of Correctional Services' spokesman Singabakho Nxumalo.

Pistorius, who is now 36, shot dead Reeva Steenkamp, a model, in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2013, when he fired four times through the bathroom door of his ultra-secure Pretoria house.

He pleaded not guilty and denied that he killed Steenkamp in a rage, saying he mistook her for a burglar.

Known worldwide as the "Blade Runner" because of his carbon-fibre prosthetics, he was sentenced to 13 years behind bars.

Offenders in South Africa are automatically eligible for parole consideration after serving half of their sentence.

Pistorius has served more than half, having started his term in 2014.

As part of his rehabilitation, Pistorius met Steenkamp's parents June and Barry last year, in a process authorities said aims to ensure inmates "acknowledge the harm they have caused to their victims and the society at large".

Reeva's mother June will attend the hearing to "make representations to the parole board" which will include both parents' victim impact statements, said Tania Koen, a lawyer representing the Steenkamps.

June's husband Barry is unable to travel due to ill health, Koen added.

Koen said she was not at liberty to discuss the Steenkamps' position on a possible release of their daughter's killer.

"They are going to make their submissions. And then obviously, the law will take