South Africa parole review delays Pistorius release

South Africa’s parole review board has delayed the release of Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius from prison, where he is serving time for killing his girlfriend, local television station eNCA reported on Monday.

The 28-year-old double-amputee sprinter was sentenced last year to five years in prison for killing model and law graduate Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013, after a trial that attracted global headlines.

He has spent nearly a year behind bars and was initially expected to be released on August 21 to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest.

The paralympian was jailed previous year for culpable homicide for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The review board met two weeks ago in Durban to re-consider the parole of a number of inmates, but as they could not complete their roll, Pistorius’ matter, among others, stood down to Monday. A spokeswoman for the Pistorius family, Annelise Burgess, said she would issue a statement later.

Prosecutors argue that the judge who presided over his trial did not apply the law correctly by acquitting him of murder.

“How can 10 months be enough?” Why didn’t he just let her walk away?

Pistorius’ lawyer Brian Webber said he had been informed of the decision to refer the case back to the parole board but had no more details.

Reeva Steenkamp, 29, was born in Cape Town and grew up in Port Elizabeth.

Whatever the outcome of the parole decision, the South African Supreme Court of Appeal is to hear the prosecution’s appeal on November. 3.