of Law
Oscar Pistorius, the South African athlete and convicted murderer, has had his parole denied by a parole board in South Africa. His lawyer has now appealed the decision on the grounds of a mistake of law.
Pistorius was convicted in 2014 of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, and sentenced to six years in prison. He was granted parole in August of 2017, but the parole board denied his request for early release in December of that year. The board cited the fact that Pistorius had not shown remorse for his crime as a reason for denying parole.
Pistorius’ lawyer, Andrew Fawcett, has now filed an appeal against the parole board’s decision. In the appeal, Fawcett argues that the board made a mistake of law in denying parole. He claims that the board failed to consider the fact that Pistorius had already served one-sixth of his sentence, which is the minimum amount of time required for parole eligibility under South African law.
Fawcett also argues that the board failed to take into account mitigating factors such as Pistorius’ age and health. He claims that Pistorius is now a changed man who has taken responsibility for his actions and is remorseful for what he did.
The appeal will be heard by a panel of three judges in the South African High Court. If they find in favor of Pistorius, he could be released on parole as early as March 2018.
The case has attracted a great deal of attention in South Africa and around the world. Many people feel that Pistorius should be granted parole due to his age and health, while others believe that he should serve his full sentence as punishment for his crime.
No matter what the outcome of the appeal, it is clear that Pistorius’ case has sparked a debate about the fairness of South African law and the role of parole in criminal justice. It remains to be seen whether Pistorius will be granted parole or if he will have to serve out his full sentence.
