Oscar Pistorius, the disgraced ex-paralympic track star who was released from prison eight years ago for the murder of his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, has been spotted in public for the first time.
Pistorius is now 37 years old and served nine of the 13-year sentence he received for killing Steenkamp in 2013, on Valentine’s Day.
He claimed during his trial that he believed Steenkamp to be a burglar, when he fired through a bathroom door closed in the middle night.
The prosecution argued that she knew he was on the other side because they just had a fight and he saw her rush in and slam a door.
Images first captured by South African News site Netwerk24 show the former track star grinning from ear to ear while looking like a shadow. He is now grayer and much thinner than he was before his prison weight gain.
Pistorius was released in January of this year and has been hiding at the mansion owned by his uncle in Pretoria. The Mirror reported that Pistorius has been working out regularly since his release, and following a strict diet without alcohol.
He was also allowed to be released on parole until the year 2029. The New York Post reported that he has to follow strict rules, including random checks-in from his parole officer. He is also prohibited from using social networking sites or having contact with the Steenkamps.
The Mirror reports that Pistorius will also have to undergo “anger management”, which is a course designed to help him deal with his violent temper, which the prosecutors believe drove him to kill Reeva.
Steenkamp told a friend of hers in the Mirror she was very upset by the recent pictures.
“It’s disturbing to see Pistorius smile like he has no cares in the world. If I could, I would wipe the smile from his face.” “I don’t understand how he can sleep at night after what he did,” said the anonymous friend to the Mirror.
The New York Post reported earlier that he struggled to find a job when he first got out of prison.
A member of South Africa’s Paralympic Committee, who had allegedly approached Pistorius to try to find work there, told the New York Post that “he’s too toxic for us to work with right now.” “There’s no work for him here.”
Pistorius, before he became a killer was a Paralympic star in track and field. He earned the nickname “Blade Runner”, due to his prosthetic legs that he used when he competed with men who were able-bodied. He made history at the 2012 London Olympics.
He was born without fibula bones in either leg and had amputations below both knees before his first birthday.
