Oscar Pistorius to be released from jail on parole next week

After spending just a year in Pretoria's prison, officials say Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius is going home. He was convicted last September of killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and sentenced to five years in prison. But now he will be placed under house arrest.

Dept of correctional services spokesperson Manelisi Wolela said:

"They considered all factors; the submission, the profile of the offender, the submission of the family of the victim, as well as the recommendations of the parole review board, and took a decision that - with effect from the 20th of October - Oscar Pistorius will be placed under correctional supervision in his own community. From that date up to the time that he finishes his sentence."

Wolela says Pistorius will be not be allowed to have firearms and must undergo psychotherapy. He was found guilty of culpable homicide, when he fired four shots through a locked bathroom door, thinking Steenkamp was actually an intruder. South Africans say they support the decision.