Oscar Pistorius is released from prison after nearly a decade behind bars Murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, after winning his case at a parole board hearing.

The former Paralympics champion shot him partner in 2013 and was sentenced to 13 years in prison for her murder in 2016.

But today he was granted parole and will be released on January 5, the South African Department of Corrections said.

He will receive anger management therapy and will remain under supervision for five years, unable to leave the Waterkloof area where he will live with his family.

Department spokesman Singabakho Nxumalo said: “Probation does not mean the end of the sentence. It’s still part of the sentence. It simply means that the inmate will serve the sentence outside of a correctional facility.

He added: “The most important thing about them is that they are there to help an inmate adjust and also clarify if there are any other areas that need attention.”

Other conditions attached to the dismissal include when Pistorius must be at home and when he can work. They would also stop him from consuming alcohol and drugs, Mr Nxumalo said.

Rob Matthews, spokesman for Ms Steenkamp’s mother June, spoke to the media following the decision. He said: “The parole board considers that he has met the criteria for release on parole and I believe June will agree with that, but I can’t read into her mind, I can only interpret what she said has.”

“My personal opinion is that part of the path to rehabilitation is acknowledging what you’ve done, taking responsibility for what you’ve done and being man enough to say ‘I did it’ , and all the consequences that come with it, not.” Just lip service, because it’s easy to apologize when you’re caught.”

Today’s hearing was the 37-year-old’s second application for parole after one Hearing in March It was incorrectly determined that he was not entitled to early release because there was an error when his prison sentence officially began.

Serious offenders in South Africa must serve at least half of their sentence to be eligible for parole, which is what Pistorius did.

After a highly regarded processHe was convicted of involuntary manslaughter – a charge similar to manslaughter – for killing his girlfriend in 2014, before that conviction was overturned.

However, after an appeal by the prosecution, he was convicted of murder Sentenced to six years in prison in 2016before, the following year, this sentence was extended up to 13 years and five months.

Pistorius’s quest for freedom may have been aided by the decision of Steenkamp’s mother, June Steenkamp, ​​not to oppose parole. She also said in a victim impact statement to the panel that she had forgiven Pistorius “a long time ago”.

But she wrote: “I don’t believe Oscar’s version that he thought the person in the toilet was a burglar. In fact, I don’t know anyone who does.

“My dearest child screamed for his life; loud enough for the neighbors to hear. I don’t know what made him shoot someone four times through a closed door with hollow point ammunition, even though I think he knew it was Reeva.”

Steenkamp’s murder occurred when Pistorius was at the height of his fame and just months after becoming the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics, he was also a multiple Paralympic sprint champion.

But his life would change forever when he fired four shots from a pistol through the couple’s apartment door, killing the 29-year-old. Pistorius would claim he believed there was an intruder in the house.

In making its decision, the Parole Board considered a variety of factors, including the offender’s behavior in prison, his mental health and any risks his release would pose to the community.

Asked whether the public would be protected by the release, Mr Nxumalo said after the hearing: “Whether it is a woman, a man or whoever, no one has the right to take a life and as we have seen “How something turns out.” Control in which women and children are the ones on the receiving end. I think as a society we have to fight back against this and when courts impose punishments it serves as a deterrent to save others.

“‘Please, this is not allowed’, ‘don’t find yourself inside’ – and you may have noticed that courts in South Africa hand out quite long sentences to deter people from terrible activities, but our trust as correctional authorities.” It works “It’s about making sure that sentences handed down by the courts are respected so that people actually serve those sentences in full, and that’s what we’re doing.”

This is a groundbreaking story, with more to come.