In 2015, Oscar Pistorius was sentenced to more than 13 years in prison for the murder of his then-girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. He stated that he mistook her for an intruder in their residence.
Oscar Pistorius has met with the father of his 2013 murder victim, Reeva Steenkamp’s ex-partner.
The South African athlete, whose racing prosthetics earned him the nickname Blade Runner, shot and killed his then-partner Ms. Steenkamp in their home, claiming he mistook her for an intruder.
Following a televised trial in 2015, he was found guilty and sentenced to 13.5 years in prison.
Now, a Steenkamp family attorney has confirmed that Pistorius met with the model’s father to obtain parole.
Tania Koen confirmed the meeting via text message, stating that the two met on June 22 as part of a victim-offender dialogue process in South Africa.
The process allows crime victims to meet with offenders before their parole eligibility.
Ms. Koen added in her message, “The conversation is private and confidential; therefore, we ask that the privacy of our clients be respected.”
The Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation also confirmed the meeting, writing on its Facebook page, “We extend our love and support to Barry and June, who participated in preparing them for a meeting with Oscar Pistorius. On 22 June 2022, Barry and Oscar met for the Victim Offender Dialogue.
The Department of Correctional Services, and particularly the staff at St. Albans Prison, deserve sincere thanks for facilitating the process sensitively and professionally.
In South Africa, offenders must serve at least half of their sentence before becoming eligible for parole. However, Pistorius must still attend a parole hearing that had been previously canceled because he had not met with Ms. Steenkamp’s parents.
The former athlete, who ran in the Olympics despite having both legs amputated, served the majority of his sentence in Pretoria but was moved to a facility in Ggeberha, the Steenkamps’ hometown, before the meeting.
A spokesman for the prison services stated that while Pistorius met with the father of Ms. Steenkamp, he will continue to serve his sentence as normal, and that participation in the victim-offender dialogue process does not result at the end of a sentence or parole.
