Pistorius parole discussions to start

The parole board of the Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria will meet on Friday to reconsider whether it should grant Oscar Pistorius parole.

This comes after the parole review board (PRB) referred the matter back to them on Monday, stating that Justice Minister Michael Masutha had acted correctly in putting the brakes on Pistorius being released in August.

The Paralympian has spent almost a year behind bars and was initially expected to be released on August 21 to serve the rest of his five-year sentence under house arrest.

But just two days prior to that, Masutha announced that Pistorius would not be released, saying the parole board had acted prematurely when it decided in June that he could be released.

Correctional Services spokesperson Manelisi Wolela said the parole board would consider all the issues raised by the PRB. They would make a decision and communicate accordingly.

"We cannot speculate or predict the outcomes of today's meeting of the parole board," Wolela said.

Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide following the death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

He shot her dead at his Pretoria home on Valentine's Day in 2013. He claimed to have mistaken her for an intruder.

The double-amputee track star was also sentenced to a further three years, suspended for five years, for discharging a firearm at Tasha’s restaurant in Sandton, Johannesburg, in January 2013.

News24

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http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Pistorius-parole-discussions-to-start-20151009