Oscar Pistorius' family yesterday welcomed his release from jail and said he would strictly abide by the house arrest conditions under which he will serve the rest of his five-year sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
Oscar Pistorius
Pretoria: Oscar Pistorius' family yesterday welcomed his release from jail and said he would strictly abide by the house arrest conditions under which he will serve the rest of his five-year sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Oscar Pistorius
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The Paralympian was allowed out of prison in Pretoria late on Monday — a day early in a bid to avoid media coverage of his release.
"The family is happy that Oscar is home, but they want to make the point that Oscar's sentence continues," family spokeswoman Anneliese Burgess said outside Pistorius' uncle's home, where the athlete was taken Monday.
'Sentence not reduced'
"His sentence hasn't been shortened or reduced. The family had been expecting his release today. They were however, informed that the details of any release are decided by the (prison) facility concerned, and this led to Oscar being released a few hours earlier."
Pistorius (28) was released one year after being jailed for shooting dead Steenkamp, a model and law graduate, at his home in Pretoria in the early hours of Valentine's Day 2013.
He was found guilty of culpable homicide — a charge equivalent to manslaughter —after telling the court that he shot Steenkamp through a bathroom door mistaking her for an intruder.