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Oscar Pistorius Up For Parole Eight Years After Shooting Girlfriend Dead

Oscar Pistorius Up For Parole Eight Years After Shooting Girlfriend Dead

Reeva Steenkamp's parents want a face-to-face meeting with Pistorius before he is up for parole.

Max Sherry

Max Sherry

It has been eight years since Oscar Pistorius was sent to prison for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Now the South African Paralympic gold medallist is up for parole.

Oscar Pistorius.
PA

Pistorius made headlines for shooting his model partner multiple times through a toilet door in his home on Valentine's Day in 2013, allegedly mistaking her for an intruder.

Two years later, after a lengthy court battle, the double-amputee was convicted of murder and slapped with a 13-year and five-month sentence.

The 34-year-old has now served half his prison sentence and is up for early release, although he must now come face-to-face with his victim's family first.

According to reports, Steenkamp's parents want a meeting with Pistorius before he is up for parole.

Reeva Steenkamp and Oscar Pistorius.
PA

Under South Africa's victim-offender dialogue policy, which is utilised to help the families of victims find closure, June and Barry Steenkamp are well within their right to call for a meeting and have previously voiced their desire to confront Pistorius.

It's understood Pistorius was actually up for parole back in July of this year, but before the official process can begin a dialogue between the victim's family and the offender must take place.

"There is the issue of victim-offender dialogue that needs to take place before his profile can be taken to the parole board," the prison spokesman Singabakho Nxumalo told AFP.

"It's quite a sensitive and emotional process."

PA

News of Pictorius' potential early release eventually reached Steenkamp's parents.

"But over that shock, they were distraught, especially after the department cancelled the meeting. That was a double blow," the Steenkamps' lawyer Tania Koen said.

"It opens a lot of wounds, or rips off the plasters they had put on those wounds."

PA

Only last year, Pistorius broke his silence from behind bars, pleading for forgiveness from the family.

"What he really, really wants is forgiveness," Pistorius' old school teacher told The Sun.

"I said to him that if he had killed my daughter I doubt I would forgive him.

"He is more concerned about forgiveness than actually getting out on parole. In fact, he has a real fear about getting parole as he knows they'll be a backlash.

"He still maintains to this day it was an accident. I did feel he was showing remorse.

"He quoted a study by an expert that when you are woken from a deep sleep and are put into a situation of fear that you act very differently to when fully conscious. I listened to him but did not buy it."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: south africa, Athletics, Paralympics, Australia