Oscar Pistorius’s family have fought back against claims that he has been given special privileges by being released after just one year in jail.
The former Olympic star was allowed out of jail last night and has begun four years of house arrest at his wealthy uncle’s mansion in the most upmarket suburb of Pretoria. He was said to be pale and thin but relieved to be home, two and a half years after he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead.
South Africa’s correctional services department announced he would be released today, but the prison authorities at Kgosi Mampuru maximum-security jail thwarted photographers by processing him at 8pm on Monday night, well past normal operating hours. They “were clever and wanted to avoid the media frenzy,” one legal expert said. “Quite the contrary is achieved – they leave a bad taste in the mouth, suggesting he is getting preferential treatment.”
Speaking outside the sprawling three-storey home, the family spokeswoman stressed that he was being released under rules that apply to every prisoner, although she said that they were “happy that Oscar is home”.
“It is very important for the family to emphasise that Oscar’s sentence has not been shortened or reduced,” Anneliese Burgess said, standing in the driveway in front of the house’s three garages. “He is simply entering the next phase of his sentence now. He will serve this under the strict conditions that govern correctional supervision.”
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Two security guards stood watch outside the red-brick 24-room mansion, complete with cupola, expansive verandas, a swimming pool, and a gym. A stream of good-looking young women drove in and out of the property throughout the day.
The exact conditions of his release have not yet been announced but he will not be allowed to leave Pretoria, or to own guns, and he is expected to have to do 300 hours of community service. This could include working in a mortuary, according to Llewelyn Curlewis, a criminal barrister and former president of South Africa’s law society.
“He may be working in a police station washing floors or cleaning the cells or go and assist in a hospital or a mortuary, working as a porter. It’s usually tied to the offence, to teach him the implications of his wrongdoing and rehabilitate him,” he said.
“He must be at home from dusk till dawn, but can go to work or in his case may be allowed to train during daylight hours. The parole officers can come out any time of day or night without announcing when to check he is complying. If he transgresses or doesn’t comply, they will typically call him in or issue a warrant. If they find he was intentionally transgressing they can pull him back into prison.”
One of the places he will be allowed to go is his local church, which delivered a pot of flowers to him at the house yesterday to welcome him back.
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Estelle Van Der Vyver, a spokeswoman for the NG Kerk, said: “We do support him with all the love that we can give him ... I can’t speak for all our parishioners but in this office we are supporting him.”
Florists in the area said they had been inundated with requests for bouquets to be delivered to the Pistorius home, which was built as a rectory for the Dutch Reformed Church, and renovated when Arnold Pistorius bought it in 1992. The latter owns a string of shopping centres in South Africa, as well as luxury ski lodges in Austria and mining firms.
Not all South Africans were behind the athlete, however. One man drove past the house shouting “He is a murderer”.
Ms Burgess confirmed that the athlete was behind the closed shutters of the house, outside which the world’s media – eating hotdogs grilled by enterprising sellers – was camped. “Oscar is here and home with his family,” she said. “The family is happy that Oscar is home, but want to emphasise the fact that Oscar continues to serve his sentence.
“Oscar was released into correctional supervision last night. Like you we had expected him to just to be released today but we were informed that the details of any release are decided upon by the facility concerned and that is why Oscar was released a couple of hours earlier.
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“The family will support Oscar as he serves out the remainder of the five-year sentence handed down by the trial judge, and he will strictly adhere to the conditions set by the parole board and community corrections.
“The family is happy that Oscar is home but want to make the point that Oscar’s sentence continues and that’s the key point here. His sentence was not reduced.”
Manelisi Wolela, spokesman for the Department of Correctional Services, said the conditions of his house arrest would not be released.
He said he had been processed by the department, despite the fact that officials at head office denied this and said they were still expecting him to arrive.
“All that was done,” Mr Wolela said. “It’s a standard rule of the department that we don’t release parole conditions.”
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He said that they might be given to the Steenkamp family, however. “Only when it’s relevant to the victims’ family and victims to know they should be informed,” he said.
He denied that Pistorius received special treatment. “There’s no special treatment,” he said. “Every case gets looked at based on its own merit. People may have their perceptions and that’s one thing you cannot change.”
The parents of Reeva Steenkamp, the model and lawyer he shot in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013, have expressed their disapproval that he had to spend just one year in jail for killing their daughter. However they were not any more upset by his being released earlier than announced, their spokeswoman said yesterday.
“They are fine. Oscar Pistorius coming out of jail a few hours early makes no difference to them,” Tanya Koen, their lawyer, said. “Reeva is still dead and this doesn’t change how they feel. It really doesn’t matter to June and Barry. It makes no difference to their lives.”