Dylan Bettencourt
Oscar Pistorius has gone to court to try and force his prison’s parole board to consider him for release.
The 35-year-old made headlines across the globe when he was handed a six-year prison sentence after being found guilty of culpable homicide for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
His sentence was increased to 13 years and five months when the Supreme Court of Appeal changed the charge to murder.
Pistorius claimed that the parole board failed to comply with the prison legislation that gives him the “right to procedurally fair administrative action”.
The former South African Paralympian claimed to show full remorse for the 2013 murder through a locked bathroom door at his home.
As part of the rehabilitation process, Pistorius met with Reeva’s parents Barry and June Steenkamp for a “victim-offender dialogue”.
However, it did not help his case. Reeva’s parents expressed their disappointment at the prospect of his early release.
The parole board requires reports from a social worker, psychologist and the manager of his prison unit, all which have not yet been received.
Pistorius requested the court to compel the parole board at the Atteridgeville jail in Pretoria to gather all the missing reports and meet again within 30 days of granting his order.
“I humbly submit that I have done everything in my power to rehabilitate, to conduct myself in such a manner as to constantly comply with prison rules, to show full remorse,” Pistorius said in a statement to the judges which was published by News24.
“I have completed all possible programmes which were presented, and I have indeed qualified in terms of the Dept of Correctional Services guidelines for release on parole.”
Pistorius claimed he had served half his sentence, but Tebogo Mologo, the vice-chairman of the jail case management committee, said that would come next March.
Image source: @NBCNews
