PRETORIA, South Africa, Aug. 17 (UPI) — South African track star Oscar Pistorius, jailed for 10 months after his culpable homicide conviction, is expected to be released to house arrest Friday.
The Olympic and Paralympic sprinter, a double amputee known as “the Blade Runner” for his spring-like prosthetic legs, was convicted in September 2014 of culpable homicide, the approximate equivalent of manslaughter, in the shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. The televised trial riveted South Africa and the international sports world.
Pistorius, 28, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment but will finish his term under house arrest, a legal procedure typical in South Africa because of its overcrowded prisons. He will live at his uncle’s home in an affluent suburb of Pretoria under conditions which, the court demands, include electronic monitoring, community service, required employment, and no alcohol, drugs or firearms.”
Prosecutors will submit arguments Monday in an appeals court, suggesting Judge Thokozile Masipa committed a legal error in not finding Pistorius guilty of murder. An appeals hearing will begin in November, and Pistorius potentially could receive a much harsher sentence if the court sides with prosecutors.
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