Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius is pictured ahead of his sentencing hearing at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria in this October 16, 2014 file photo. Pistorius was released on parole, a day ahead of his expected Oct. 20 date, about a year into his five-year sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, authorities said. The department of correctional services said in a statement on October 15, 2015 the Olympic and Paralympic track star would be placed under house arrest from Tuesday. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/Files

Oscar Pistorius is finally home – leaves jail a day earlier than expected

Paralympian Oscar Pistorius was released from prison under correctional supervision on Monday night, a day ahead of his expected Oct 20 release.

Published on:

20 Oct 2015, 5:09 am

By Genevieve Quintal, News24

Pretoria – Paralympian Oscar Pistorius was released from prison under correctional supervision on Monday night, the department of correctional services said.

"The handling of the actual placement is an operational matter of the local management, and how they handle it is their prerogative," spokesperson Manelisi Wolela said.

"They carry it out in the best interest of all parties concerned, the victims, the offender and the department of correctional services."

It had been expected that Pistorius would only leave the Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria on Tuesday.

Pistorius's lawyer Brian Webber told The Citizen newspaper that his client was home just after 22:00 on Monday.

"Yes it is true… he is at home already," Webber was quoted as saying.

https://youtu.be/HrRHa2pWEyw

Correctional supervision

This was after the correctional services department announced last week that he would be placed under correctional supervision on October 20.

Pistorius was initially expected to be released on August 21, but Justice Minister Michael Masutha however blocked this and referred the matter back to the parole review board.

He said the parole board had acted prematurely when it decided on June 5 to release Pistorius. It should have met on August 21, after Pistorius had served one-sixth of his five-year jail sentence, to decide if he could be released into correctional supervision.

The matter was then taken to the parole review board (PRB) which again referred it back to the Kgosi Mampuru II prison parole board.

On October 21 last year, Pistorius was sentenced to five years for shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead on Valentine's Day in 2013.

The double-amputee track star was sentenced to a further three years, suspended for five years, for firing a shot at Tasha's restaurant in Johannesburg, in January 2013. – News24