A South-African parole board review panel which will decide whether to free Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius from jail has started meeting on September 18.
South Africa’s justice minister blocked Oscar Pistorius’ early release in August in a surprise move.
It is not clear when the panel will rule whether the initial decision to free him early was correct.
Oscar Pistorius, 28, has served 11 months of his 5-year sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013.
The review board, which is meeting in the eastern port city of Durban, comprises a panel of legal experts chaired by a judge.
Journalists from local media have gathered outside the Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria, where Oscar Pistorius is being held, in anticipation of a potential decision on September 19.
Under South African law, Oscar Pistorius is eligible for release under house arrest, having served a sixth of his sentence.
A court convicted the double-amputee athlete of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, over the killing of Reeva Steenkamp.
Oscar Pistorius shot Reeva Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door at his home in South Africa’s capital, Pretoria, believing she was an intruder, he told his trial.
The prosecution has appealed against the ruling, saying Oscar Pistorius should instead be convicted of murder.
South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has appeared in court for the first time since he was freed on bail over the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp earlier this year.
After a brief hearing in Pretoria, the magistrate agreed to a request from both prosecution and defense to postpone the hearing until August 19.
Oscar Pistorius, 26, shot Reeva Steenkamp, 29, through the bathroom door of his house in Pretoria on February 14, 2013.
The Paralympic champion denies committing murder, saying he mistook her for an intruder.
Oscar Pistorius wore a grey suit and appeared composed as he arrived at court to meet a barrage of photographers and journalists. He was surrounded by his family and friends for the hearing.
He spoke only once, confirming: “Yes, Your Honour” when asked if he understood the magistrate’s comments.
Both the prosecution and the defense teams asked that the hearing be postponed until August 19 to give them more time to prepare their case.
Oscar Pistorius hearing over Reeva Steenkamp murder postponed until August
Magistrate Daniel Thulare agreed to the postponement and extended Oscar Pistorius’s bail conditions until that date.
On Monday, Oscar Pistorius’ family said they were “shaken” by leaked, graphic photos published by Sky News, which showed the bathroom where Reeva Steenkamp was killed.
Police said they were “disgusted” by the leak.
Oscar Pistorius is a double amputee who won gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and also competed in the Olympics.
His arrest in February stunned many South Africans who saw him as a national sporting hero after his long legal battle to be able to compete in the Olympics.
The prosecution has accused Oscar Pistorius of premeditated murder, alleging that he killed Reeva Steenkamp intentionally after a fight.
Oscar Pistorius was freed on a bail of 1 million rand ($110,000). A court in March eased his travel restrictions, allowing him to leave South Africa to compete as long as he complied with certain conditions.
Carl Pistorius, brother of South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius – who is accused of murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp – is also facing trial over the death of a woman.
Carl Pistorius is charged with culpable homicide over the death of a woman motorcyclist in a traffic accident, his lawyer said.
The case has no relation to the charges against Oscar Pistorius over the shooting of Reeva Steenkamp.
Oscar Pistorius – who was released on bail on Friday – denies murder.
The charges against Carl Pistorius over an accident involving his car in which a woman on a motorcycle died date back to 2010 but have only just emerged, local media reports say.
They were confirmed by Pistorius family lawyer Kenneth Oldwage.
The accident took place in the town of Vanderbijlpark, an hour’s drive south of Johannesburg.
Carl Pistorius, brother of South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius, is also facing trial over the death of a woman
Police conducted tests on Carl Pistorius and he was found to have no alcohol in his blood at the time.
Carl Pistorius is due in court at the end of March, which means his trial may end before his younger brother Oscar’s is due to begin on June 4.
Carl Pistorius was a constant presence at his brother’s four-day bail hearing.
Oscar Pistorius admits shooting Reeva Steenkamp at his home on Valentine’s Day but denies murder, saying he mistook her for an intruder.
Oscar Pistorius, who faces murder charges over the shooting of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, has spent his first night out of custody after being granted bail.
At a pre-trial hearing on Friday, a Pretoria magistrate ruled the state had not made a case that the South African Paralympic champion would flee, or that he had a violent character.
Oscar Pistorius, 26, denies murder, saying he shot Reeva Steenkamp, 29, thinking she was an intruder at his home.
The next hearing is set for June 4.
Oscar Pistorius spent eight nights in a police cell in Pretoria, following his arrest on February 14. After Friday’s ruling granting him bail, he left the court in a silver car pursued by photographers.
The sprinter is staying at his uncle’s house in Pretoria.
Reports say Oscar Pistorius may start training again and hold talks with his coach.
Magistrate Desmond Nair set bail at 1 million rand ($113,000).
Oscar Pistorius was also ordered to hand over his passport, avoid his home in Pretoria and report to a police station every Monday and Friday.
Desmond Nair took almost two hours to deliver his judgement.
The magistrate criticized the testimony of Detective Hilton Botha for not following up important leads and changing his evidence.
Oscar Pistorius, who faces murder charges over the shooting of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, has spent his first night out of custody after being granted bail
Desmond Nair also said Oscar Pistorius had “reached out to meet the state’s case” and had given a full version of events at an early stage.
Oscar Pistorius’ family and supporters in the court gasped and cheered as the magistrate announced his decision.
His uncle, Arnold Pistorius, said outside court: “We are relieved by the fact that Oscar got bail today, but at the same time, we are in mourning for Reeva Steenkamp and her family.”
The hearing began on Tuesday and both prosecution and defence laid out their cases.
Both sides agree that Oscar Pistorius shot through the bathroom door four times, hitting and killing Reeva Steenkamp.
But prosecutors allege the shooting happened after the couple had an argument at Oscar Pistorius’s home in the early hours of February 14.
Det. Hilton Botha told the court that witnesses had heard shouting, screaming and gunfire from about 600 m (2,000 ft) away.
But later he changed his evidence to suggest the witnesses were much closer.
And on Thursday it emerged that Det. Hilton Botha faces allegations of attempted murder, and he was removed from the case.
Oscar Pistorius says he woke in the middle of the night, and thought there was an intruder in the bathroom.
The prosecutors sought to portray Oscar Pistorius as man with a history of violence who was likely to flee the country.
But the defence argued it would be impossible for Oscar Pistorius to flee because his prosthetic legs would be noticed wherever he went.
Reeva Steenkamp was a model and law graduate with a burgeoning television career.
Oscar Pistorius won gold medals at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.
In London Oscar Pistorius made history by becoming the first double-amputee to run in the Olympics, making the semi-final of the 400 m.
Sportswear giant Nike has decided to suspend its contract with Oscar Pistorius, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
“We believe Oscar Pistorius should be afforded due process and we will continue to monitor the situation closely,” a Nike spokesman said.
Nike recently pulled ads that featured Oscar Pistorius and the line, “I am the bullet in the chamber”.
Oscar Pistorius, 26, also has deals with BT, Oakley, and Ossur, the Icelandic firm that makes his carbon-fibre blades.
Oscar Pistorius, a Paralympic champion, denies the premeditated murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. He is in court in South Africa this week to press to be released on bail pending his trial.
On Wednesday, Clarins said that it would no longer run Thierry Mugler ads featuring Oscar Pistorius “out of respect and compassion for the families involved”.
Oscar Pistorius was chosen as the face of the fashion firm’s A*Men fragrance in 2011.
Another of Oscar Pistorius’ sponsors, a South African pay TV channel, pulled its TV ad campaign featuring the athlete recently.
Nike has decided to suspend its contract with Oscar Pistorius, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
Oscar Pistorius won gold medals at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.
In London Oscar Pistorius made history by becoming the first double-amputee to run in the Olympics, making the semi-final of the 400m.
Nike was recently forced to end its long relationship with Lance Armstrong, who has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and finally admitted to doping after years of denial.
It recently signed up Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy as a new brand ambassador, making him one of the highest paid sports stars in the world.
Oscar Pistorius has broken down in tears at court this morning as he begged for bail on the same day Reeva Steenkamp will be buried by her family.
Oscar Pistorius, 26, was hidden under a blanket in the back of a police car as he was swept into the Pretoria courthouse where he was accused of gunning down model Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day.
The Paralympic champion began to sob in the dock before he slumped forwards with his head in his hands as the prosecutor accused him of murdering an “unarmed and innocent woman”.
The court was also told that Reeva Steenkamp had arrived at his home at around 6 p.m., with an overnight bag, before being “shot three times while on the toilet” in the middle of the night.
600 miles away in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth Reeva Steenkamp’s family, friends and loved-ones will be attending her private funeral.
They have demanded to know why their “beautiful angel” was blasted to death with his 9mm gun and have begged the sprinter to “tell the truth” about the shooting when he appears in court today.
Meanwhile olice focus their investigations on Reeva Steenkamp’s iPad amid concerns she received an early-hours message that may have sparked a row.
Oscar Pistorius has broken down in tears at court this morning as he begged for bail on the same day Reeva Steenkamp will be buried by her family
Reeva Steenkamp’s tablet computer was found on the bedroom floor – and this is now being checked by investigators along with both her and Oscar Pistorius’ phone for any clues about her death.
June Steenkamp, Reeva’s mother said: “All we want are answers … answers as to why this had to happen, why our beautiful daughter had to die like this?”
But the mystery of her final moments deepened after the tragedy was recreated in a controversial “cartoon” strip in South Africa.
The bizarre images suggest Reeva Steenkamp was shot in the hip in Oscar Pistorius’ bedroom before being attacked and seeking refuge in the bathroom, sitting on the toilet seat.
Today it also emerged that sportswear brand Nike, one of the athlete’s main sponsors, has no plans to use Oscar Pistorius in future ad campaigns.
This came as Reeva Steenkamp’s brother Adam called for the truth, telling reporters that the only person left alive who can say what happened is Oscar Pistorius.
Asked what could possibly be the motive behind his niece’s murder, Reeva’s uncle Mike Steenkamp said: “The only person who can answer that is Reeva”
But her brother Adam said: “Oscar.”
Adam Steenkamp, a 36-year-old father of two who works at the University of Cambridge, has flown back to his parent’s home in South Africa to help deal with the crisis. Though he is Reeva Steenkamp’s half brother, as they have different mothers, he said that they considered each other direct siblings.
This website has updated its privacy policy in compliance with EU GDPR 2016/679. Please read this to review the updates about which personal data we collect on our site. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our updated policy. AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
