Pistorius To Be Released From Jail On October 20

South African paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, who was sentenced to five years in jail last year for killing his girlfriend, will be released from prison on October 20 and moved to house arrest in Pretoria.

While on house arrest at his uncle’s mansion, Pistorius will have some restrictions in terms of gun ownership and he would have to continue undergoing psychotherapy, a parole review board which decided on the matter said.

In a court case that has gripped worldwide attention, Pistorius was said to have accidentally gunned down his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013, after mistaking her for an intruder in his Johannesburg home.

Pistorius fired four shots at the toilet door of his home during the incident, three of them catching Steenkamp in the head, arm and hip before she succumbed to her injuries on the spot.

Pistorius has already served 12 months in jail and will spend the rest of his five-year sentence under what in South Africa is called ‘correctional supervision’.

The state is bringing up a fresh murder trial against Pistorius on November 3, in which it will argue that Pistorius did actually kill Reeva intentionally on that fateful day.

If Pistorius is convicted for premeditated murder in the November 3 hearing, he could be sentenced to jail for up to a further 20 years.

The athlete has had a horrid time since the shooting took place at his Johannesburg home, which has now been converted into a weekend party hub.

Pistorius has also time and again mentioned how the smell of blood and the screams of his girlfriend from inside the toilet door, when he shot at it, are still fresh in his memory and how it makes him vomit every time he thinks of it.

It has been difficult for Pistorius’ family members to keep the athlete motivated amid all the litigation trouble and public perception shift since the night of the shooting.

There are, however, many fans out there who have vouched for his innocence on social media ever since the unfortunate incident took place. These are people who have never met Pistorius in their life but say they believe in him.

Before the incident, people in South Africa had for long idolized the blade runner, who has won several medals at the international stage and even competed alongside able-bodied athletes at the 2012 London Olympics.

Since the incident at his home the question about his innocence or lack thereof has been widely debated all over the world.

Reeva’s parents and family have so far opposed Pistorius’ early release, adamant on their stance that the athlete did actually kill their daughter intentionally.

Garbersports will be on top of any further developments in this story.