Oscar Pistorius was released from prison on parole in South Africa, almost 11 years after killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The department of correctional services in South Africa verified that he was freed and was currently at home.
It is believed that he was released early in the morning from the Atteridgeville Correctional Centre in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa.
The mother of Ms Steenkamp, June Steenkamp, stated that although she understood the decision to free the former athlete, her family are the ones "serving a life sentence".
He was jailed in 2014 for the murder of his girlfriend, and became automatically eligible for parole after serving half of his 13-year sentence.
Oscar Pistorius was previously denied parole because he had not served a “minimum detention period”.
But who is Oscar Pistorius and what are the details of his crime?
Who is Oscar Pistorius?
Oscar Pistorius, 37, is a former professional athlete from South Africa. He was born with a congenital defect, meaning he had to have both feet amputated as an infant.
He went on to compete in sprinting events, becoming a Paralympic champion, before competing in non-disabled sports events, like the Olympics.
Between 2010 and 2012, he appeared on a number of reality TV shows, including the Italian versions of Celebrity Survivor and Dancing with the Stars.
In 2013, he shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, claiming to mistake her for an intruder.
What did Oscar Pistorius do?
The Paralympian was jailed after he was found guilty of the murder of Steenkamp. He shot her four times through his bathroom door in the early hours of Valentine’s Day in 2013. At the trial Pistorius, now 36, claimed that he shot at his girlfriend with a pistol because he believed she was an intruder.
He was initially found guilty of culpable homicide — an offence comparable to manslaughter in the UK — but prosecutors appealed and he was then found guilty of her murder.
Pistorius was then sentenced to six years in jail for her murder, causing prosecutors to again appeal against what they called a “shockingly light punishment”.
South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal then more than doubled his sentence in 2017 to 13 years and five months’ imprisonment.
Is Oscar Pistorius still in jail?
At the moment, no. Under South African law, prisoners are eligible to apply for parole as soon as they have served half their given term. Pistorius hit the threshold and launched his application, which was heard on March 31.
But he was initially denied parole because he had not served a “minimum detention period”, authorities in South Africa said following his hearing.
In early January of 2024, he was granted freedom on parole.
He will be subject to severe living restrictions until the end of his term in 2029, which will include not speaking to the media.
It is thought that he moved to reside in an upscale Pretoria suburb at his uncle Arnold Pistorius' house.
What do Reeva Steenkamp’s parents think of the parole decision?
In a statement, Mrs Steenkamp claimed that the family "always said that the law must take its course" and that they have "always known that parole is part of the South African legal system".
In addition to praising the parole board's requirements, which include programmes on gender-based violence and anger management classes, Mrs Steenkamp stated that the choices had "affirmed Barry and my belief in the South African justice system," a reference to her late husband.
However, she did ask: "Has there been justice for Reeva? Has Oscar served enough time? There can never be justice if your loved one is never coming back, and no amount of time served will bring Reeva back. We, who remain behind, are the ones serving a life sentence."
Adding: "My only desire is that I will be allowed to live my last years in peace with my focus remaining on the Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation, to continue Reeva's legacy."
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In a previous interview with MailOnline, the couple said they had previously forgiven Pistorius, but changed their mind when he refused to admit he meant to kill their daughter.
“Unless he comes clean, they don’t feel that he is rehabilitated,” the family’s lawyer, Tania Koen, told reporters outside the Atteridgeville Correctional Centre prison where the hearing took place.
While Barry Steenkamp previously told MailOnline: “I told Oscar directly that he had shot my daughter deliberately and he denied it. He stuck to his story that he thought it was an intruder. After all these years, we are still waiting for him to admit he did it in anger. That is all we wanted.
“If he told me the truth, he would have been a free man by now and I would have let the law take its course over his parole. But I was wasting my time. He is a murderer. He should remain in jail.”
Mr Steenkamp died in his sleep in September, according to the Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation. He had been in poor health ever since suffering a stroke shortly after his daughter's murder.
