South African Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has been released under house arrest nearly one year after he was jailed for killing his girlfriend. He shot Reeva Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door in 2013 but said he thought she was an intruder.
He is expected to spend the remainder of a five-year prison sentence at his uncle’s upmarket home in Pretoria.
Pistorius, 28, was found guilty of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, of his 29-year-old girlfriend at a trial in October last year.
A case lodged by the prosecution appealing against that decision is due to be heard by the Supreme Court of Appeal on 3 November. State prosecutors say Pistorius should have instead been convicted of murder.
Pistorius house arrest: The dos and don’ts
- No access to firearms
- No taking of drugs or alcohol, and can be randomly tested by officials
- Continue with psychotherapy sessions
- No going out at night
- Can work; will not be electronically tagged
- His lawyers say track and field training is part of work, but this is still unclear
The athlete was released on Monday evening, a day earlier than expected.