Reeva Steenkamp’s parents June and Barry are rejecting a parole application bid by her killer Oscar Pistorius.
Images via Facebook: Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation/ GIANLUIGI GUERCIA, AFP
‘Forgave him, take it back’: Reeva’s parents reject Pistorius parole
Reeva Steenkamp’s parents are rejecting an application for Oscar Pistorius to be granted parole, a decade after her death…
Reeva Steenkamp’s parents June and Barry are rejecting a parole application bid by her killer Oscar Pistorius.
Images via Facebook: Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation/ GIANLUIGI GUERCIA, AFP
It’s been ten years since Oscar Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp- and her parents are no closer to closure now. In fact, June and Barry Steenkamp are calling for the former Paralympian to remain in jail amid a parole application hearing next month.
June has even claimed that she has revoked her “forgiveness” for the man who cold-bloodedly murdered her daughter.
Reeva was shot and killed at her Paralympian boyfriend’s Pretoria home on 14 February 2013. Oscar Pistorius has served half of his thirteen years and five months sentence, making him eligible for parole.
ALSO READ: ‘Open wounds’: Reeva’s family support Pistorius parole delay
REEVA STEENKAMP’S PARENTS SPEAK ON 10TH ANNIVERSARY
Speaking to MailOnline, Reeva Steenkamp’s parents share their reasons why they believe Oscar Pistorius should not be granted parole.
According to the Port Elizabeth couple, the former athlete has shown “no remorse.”
Barry – Reeva’s frail dad – claimed that Oscar has also refused to acknowledge his intent to kill the model. This, after he met with Pistorius last year as part of the Victim-Offender Dialogue, facilitated by the Department of Correctional Services.
The programme forms part of rehabilitating offenders who are being considered for parole. It seeks to offer closure for the victim’s family, and a means for the offender to seek forgiveness.
ALSO READ: Oscar Pistorius: Parole application REMOVED from roll
He told the publication: “’I told Oscar directly that he had shot my daughter deliberately, and he denied it. He stuck to his story that he thought it was an intruder.
“After all these years, we are still waiting for him to admit he did it in anger. That is all we wanted”.
Barry added: “If he told me the truth, he would have been a free man by now, and I would have let the law take its course over his parole. But I was wasting my time. He is a murderer. He should remain in jail”.
ALSO READ: ‘I didn’t say I forgive you’: Reeva’s dad details Pistorius meeting
JUNE STEENKAMP: ‘I HATE HIM. I FORGAVE HIM, BUT I TAKE IT BACK’
While Barry faced Oscar Pistorius in jail, Reeva’s mom June declined the invitation. Instead, she wrote a letter to the athlete, which he read out aloud during the meeting with Barry.
June told MailOnline that she still bore animosity toward Pistorius, a decade after Reeva’s death.
She said: “Oscar has taken a lot away from us and from her. So now, instead of getting upset, I get angry. I am angry with him. It is a horrible thing to say, but I can’t stand him.
“I don’t think that he got enough time, and if somebody takes a life they must pay with their life in jail”
ALSO READ: ‘Trustworthy, positive’: Why officials claim Pistorius deserves parole
“He never showed any remorse to Barry whatsoever. He is a murderer. It drives me crazy, too, that, ten years on, he can’t accept what he did. He is spoilt, and he was adored by young women and men the world over.”
She added: “I did say that I forgave him before, but only because I am a Christian. I only forgave him because God would have wanted me to. I did back then . . . but I take it back now. He has done too much to us”.
OSCAR PISTORIUS: PAROLE UPDATE
Meanwhile, Oscar Pistorius is gearing up for a parole hearing application in 2023 after serving half his sentence. According to the Atteridge prison, where he spent the majority of his sentence, Pistorius will become eligible in March 2023.
The former athlete shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day in 2013. In December 2015, Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide and handed a six-year prison sentence.
However, his charge was changed to murder, and his jail term increased to 13 years following an unsuccessful appeal in November 2017.
According to South African law, offenders become eligible for parole after serving half their sentence. The parole hearing does not necessarily mean the offender will be granted an early release. It does mean that the offender will be considered.
