In
this beautiful World where people complain about lack of opportunities, a person with
double below-knee amputations, competes in T44 (single below knee
amputees) events though he is actually classified in T43(double below knee
amputee) - at the 2012 Summer Olympics
in London, he became the first double
leg amputee to participate in the Olympics when he entered the men's 400 metres
race and was part of South Africa's 4 × 400 metres relay team. He also took
part in the 2012 Summer Paralympics and won gold medals in the men's 400 metre
race in a Paralympic record time of 46.68 seconds and in the 4 × 100 metres
relay in a world record time of 41.78 seconds. He also took a silver in the 200
metres race, having set a world record of 21.30 seconds in the semifinal.
He
garnered more attention for his race against Arabian stud Maserati in Doha and
won too... The man, never baulked at a challenge; Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius, [simply Oscar
Pistorius] is better known as ‘blade-runner’.
Mr.Pistorius, who was born without fibulas, had both legs amputated
below the knee before his first birthday, and he battled for many years to
compete against able-bodied athletes. In 2007, Pistorius took part in his first
international competitions for able-bodied athletes; and instead of
appreciating some questioned the unfair advantage he might have from his prostheses.
Clearly this man had shaken the sprinters by then.
Great athlete – he
was gaining more prominence globally, when the incident on 14th Feb
2013 changed the way the World looked at him.
On that day, he was charged with murder of his girlfriend
Reeva Steenkamp, who was shot dead at his home in Pretoria in the early hours of
that morning. Reeva, a platinum-haired
model was a regular glamorous young
fixture on the South African celebrity scene.
Initially, he
claimed that he had mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder hiding in the bathroom. However, during trial the following year, Pistorius was found
guilty of culpable homicide and handed a
five-year prison sentence for culpable
homicide and a concurrent three-year suspended prison sentence for a separate
reckless endangerment conviction. Last
Dec he was granted permission for appeal.
He is about to be
released shortly and there is more news on that front. MailOnline reports that Oscar
Pistorius is likely to be fitted with an electronic tag when he is released
from prison next week, barely 300 days after he was jailed for killing his
girlfriend.The shamed athlete has been recommended as an ‘ideal candidate’ for
a new scheme aimed at saving money and making space in South Africa’s overcrowded
jails.Prison chiefs are still finalising the conditions of the 28-year-old
South African’s release into ‘corrective supervision’ just 10 months into his
five year sentence for manslaughter. ……
..one of the issues to be resolved is where a tag might be fitted on Pistorius –
who was a baby when his legs were amputated below the knee - since they are
typically fixed around the ankle of offenders.
Pistorious was
jailed after shooting Reeva Steenkamp, who would have turned 31 next week, dead
through a locked bathroom door at his home on Valentine’s Day in 2013. The
sprinter was cleared of murder after telling his trial how he had mistaken his
lover of three months for a burglar.
The news he will
soon be released has been met with opposition from Reeva’s family.June
Steenkamp, 68, told South Africa’s Citizen newspaper: ‘I don't think it's a
good idea to let him back in society so quickly. He shot my daughter through
that door where she had no space to move or defend herself. 'One of the bullets
blew her brains out, it is disgusting what he did to her – 10 months is just
not enough.’
Today, prison
authorities at the sprawling KgosiMampuru jail, in Pretoria, where the runner
has been held on the hospital wing, will begin their final week of preparing
Pistorius for his return to his community next Friday morning.The track star
will be released the comfortable home of his wealthy businessman uncle, Arnold
Pistorius, albeit with restrictions over his movement.Pistorius has served his
jail sentence in the KgosiMampuru II, in Pretoria, where he has been kept on
the hospital wing, away from the main prison population.
Correctional
supervision is typically offered to offenders of serious crimes who are not
considered to pose any danger to society and for whom a long period in jail is
considered unhelpful to a long term rehabilitation.As part of this, it is
anticipated that Pistorius will have to carry out some sort of community
service two days a month which could take a number of forms, including cleaning
public spaces - although the authorities may conclude this would be a poor use
of his skills and high profile.
Public sightings of
Pistorius are likely to provoke excitable responses from his fans, foes and
media alike. An army of devoted - mostly female - fans have been counting down
the days to his release from jail on dedicated websites and Facebook pages.
Meanwhile, the runner’s lawyer said his client had expressed an interest in
working with children.Zach Modise, the correctional services’ national
commissioner, who said Pistorius had ‘behaved himself’ behind bars, suggested
he would have one hour of free time each day before restrictions are eased
further.
Pistorius’s
family’s response to news of his imminent homecoming has been muted – with good
reason.In November, an appeal against Pistorius' acquittal of murder will begin
with legal experts predicting the state has ‘a fair chance’ of success. If he
is found guilty of murder by a panel of appeal judges, Pistorius faces at least
15 years behind bars, although the time he has served to date will be taken
into account.
His grandmother,
Gertie Pistorius, 91, told MailOnline ‘there will be no parties’ to welcome him
back to the fold. ‘What is there to celebrate?’ she added. Pistorius will have
to agree to abstain from drinking or taking drugs. He has a history of getting
into fights at nightclubs and parties and random blood tests may be carried out
by parole officers assigned to his supervision.
And while Pistorius
is expected to get back to some sort of limited training, outside of the
confines of his uncle’s home-based gym, he will not be free to compete. The
international Paralympic Committee has ruled him out of next year’s games in
Rio, but could take part in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, once his sentence has
run its course – by which time, aged 33, far older than the average
professional sprinter.
The live broadcast
of Pistorius’ murder trial, which spanned seven months of last year, drew
massive audiences from around the world. Prison bosses have not yet decided whether
the media will have access to film Pistorius’ journey to freedom, most likely
as a physically changed man.The once-powerfully built athlete has reportedly
refused to eat prison food out of fear of being poisoned, surviving instead on
tins of beans, vegetables and meat from the tuck shop paid for out of his
meagre prisoner’s allowance.
South Africa locks
up more criminals than any other country in Africa, leaving its prison staff
over-stretched, its facilities overcrowded and taxpayers over burdened by the
costs.And although electronic tagging is well established in a number of
developed countries, it is a new phenomenon in South Africa where the first
trial ran in 2012.The success of the programme, involving 150 offenders mostly
serving life terms, has led to its expansion. Pistorius – who earned the
coveted category ‘A’ inmate status only weeks into his sentence a long with a
raft of privileges – is a good candidate to join the one per cent of the
country’s prisoner population who are expected to be tagged and back in their
communities by the end of this year.
For the appeal, a
panel of Supreme Court judges will examine witness statements and transcripts
of his trial and hear arguments from the state and Pistorius’ own lawyers, and
could take until well into next year before they give their ruling. Pistorius
is not required to attend proceedings in Bloemfontein.One of the outstanding
questions is how Pistorius plans to fund his defence – and any subsequent
appeal if the ruling goes against him. At the hearing to decide his sentence,
the court heard from his barrister Barry Roux how the athlete had been left
‘broke and broken’ in the wake of the shooting of his girlfriend, unable to
settle his legal costs.
For us in India,
reading this case – it seems far different – a famed athlete who has earned
well – report suggests that he would find it difficult to settle legal costs –
are they so costly ? – and can somebody charged with murder come out so soon ??
and what is the purpose of keeping somebody under sentence in cost relative’s
house – whether tagged or not ???
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
17th Aug
2015.
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