Oscar Pistorius sues for parole hearing in South Africa

Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Paralympic superstar and convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius has filed documents to force South African authorities to hold a parole hearing for him as a new documentary shed new light on the 2013 shooting death of his girlfriend.

Pistorius is serving a 13-year sentence for shooting Reeva Steenkamp in his home. He was sentenced in 2014 for the crime. He claimed he had mistaken the woman for a burglar and shot at her through a closed bathroom door.

In 2021, the country's Supreme Court of Appeals ruled Pistorius' sentence should start in 2014 when he was sentenced for the less serious culpable homicide and not in 2017 when the same court extended his sentence from six to 13 years for murder.

Pistorius is arguing this week that he has now served enough time, based on last year's ruling, that he should be eligible for a parole hearing.

If the Gauteng High Court orders the parole board to grant the request based on the new date, Pistorius could get his first shot at freedom within 30 days.

Authorities are claiming, though, that he is "not eligible" despite the latest court ruling.

Last year, the same court ruled that his current term should be backdated to October 2014, when he was initially sentenced for a lesser charge of culpable homicide.

Pistorius' legs were amputated when he was 11 months old because he was born without calf bones, or fibulas. He was fitted with prosthetics, later became an athlete and gained Olympic fame as a sprinter dubbed "Blade Runner," earning gold in multiple events.