Dylan Bettencourt
Oscar Pistorius, who in 2014 was sentenced to six years in prison for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, is set to meet her parents as his parole process gets underway.
The 34-year-old athlete claimed he mistook his girlfriend for a burglar and shot her while she was in the bathroom at his home in Pretoria. Pistorius fired four bullets through the locked door, killing Reeva, who was 29 years old.
After an extended trial, the court sentenced him to six years in prison for manslaughter. However, a year later, Pistorius was found guilty of murder and saw his sentence increased to 13 years and six months.
The famous Paralympic athlete is being considered for parole after having served half of his sentence.
The Department of Correctional Services said they were working with the Steenkamp family to set up a meeting with the athlete.
This is part of what the Department calls a “restorative justice process,” where perpetrators must “acknowledge and take responsibility for their actions”.
The Steenkamp family’s lawyer, Tania Koen, said the family would be open to meeting Pistorius in the “victim-offender dialogue”.
“Reeva’s mother June has always said that she has forgiven Oscar, however that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t pay for what he did. Reeva’s father Barry battles with that, but that is something he will have to voice at the appropriate time,” Koen said.
The lawyer added that although a lot of time has passed since the killing, the incident is still very raw to the Steenkamp family.
If the former gold medalist was granted parole, he will spend the rest of his sentence at his home and have to report back to the prison officials on a regular basis.
Pistorius, who is one of the best Paralympic sprinters of all time, made history in 2012 when he became the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics running on prosthetic “blades”.
The runner, who has six Paralympic gold medals to his name, had both his legs amputated when he was 11 months old as he was born with no fibula bones.
Image source: @TimesLIVE
