Oscar Pistorius should stay behind bars, the brother of murdered Reeva Steenkamp has said, as he faced a parole hearing on Friday.
The disgraced Paralympian has been in prison since late 2014 for shooting dead his then-girlfriend Ms Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013.
Now Reeva's brother Adam Steenkamp has urged the parole board in South Africa to keep Pistorius locked up, saying the stress of the case contributed to his father’s death in September.
He told the Daily Mail from his UK home: “From a personal point of view I firmly believe Oscar should serve out his full sentence but the other side of me thinks I have to fully support the laws of the land.
“The personal aspect for me is so much harder to fathom and understand. You have to focus on the reason Reeva died and you can't quite see it.
“The thought that comes into my head is that he is being let off the hook a bit if he gets granted parole.
“I already thought the original sentence was lenient in itself. I support and understand the reasons for someone getting parole but this is about my sister and I would prefer he serves the time he was given.”
Pistorius, who turned 37 this week, was initially convicted of culpable homicide, an offence equivalent to manslaughter, for shooting Ms Steenkamp multiple times through a closed toilet cubicle door in his home in the South African capital.
His conviction was upgraded to murder and he was ultimately sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison. The athlete has maintained that he thought Ms Steenkamp was an intruder hiding in the bathroom.
Pistorius’ eligibility for parole has been complicated by appeals by prosecutors which upgraded his initial conviction and sentence.
The Supreme Court of Appeal eventually ruled in 2017 that Pistorius should serve South Africa's minimum sentence of 15 years for murder, but took into account the year and seven months he had already served for culpable homicide.
However, the court made an error by not counting another period Pistorius had served while his murder sentence was being appealed, meaning he was in fact eligible for parole in March when he was told at his first hearing that he would only be eligible in August 2024.
He is not guaranteed to be granted early release and even if he is granted parole, he is unlikely to be freed immediately.
He could be released on full parole or placed on day parole, where he would be allowed to live and work in the community but have to return to prison at night.
Pistorius was once a celebrated athlete before the murder of Ms Steenkamp, as the first double amputee to run at the Olympics.
