Oscar Pistorius to Remain in Prison for Another 3 Weeks

Oscar Pistorius is set to remain in jail till 18 September, meaning the athlete will spend at least another three weeks in jail as the review panel, which includes three judges, could take weeks or even months to make its decision his family has said.

The Guardian reports Pistorius, who was convicted of culpable homicide for the killing of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, was  due to be moved to house arrest last Friday after serving 10 months behind bars.

But Michael Masutha, the justice minister, referred the matter back to the parole review board. The justice department said the athlete was approved to be moved to house arrest too soon.

Pistorius should have served 10 months, or one-sixth, of his five-year sentence before being considered for release, a justice department spokesman said last week. But he was approved for parole in June, eight months into his sentence.

Pistorius is set to remain in jail as the review panel, which includes three judges, could take weeks or even months to make its decision.

“We do understand that the parole board will be sitting on the 18th of September,” said a family spokesman, who asked not to be identified, on Thursday. “That date has been set.”

Pistorius was acquitted of murder but convicted of culpable homicide, the South African equivalent of manslaughter, after a globally televised trial accepted his plea that he shot four times through a locked toilet door because he mistook Steenkamp for a burglar.