The South African prison authorities have initiated the first procedural steps to evaluate the granting of probation to Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius, in prison for the murder of his girlfriend. It was learned from an official and a lawyer.

The athlete killed his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine's morning 2013 by shooting four times through the bathroom door. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison for the murder he always denied, saying he was convinced a thief had broken into his ultra-secure home in Pretoria.

Pistorius, now 34, served half of his sentence last July, the minimum required to consider probation and as confirmed by Tania Koen, a lawyer for the Steenkamp family. Which "does not mean that he automatically has the right to be released," he stressed.

Prison services have scheduled preliminary interviews with Reeva Steenkamp's parents, as required by the procedure, currently postponed "to a later date" due to the "lack of certain requirements".

We are also awaiting the "necessary reports" from the psychologist and social workers in contact with the detainee.

(Unioneonline / vl)

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