South Africa’s former double star, Oscar Pistorius, with double amputation, met the father of Reeva Steenkamp, the woman he shot dead in 2013, as part of his parole process, the Steenkamp’s family lawyer said on Friday 1 June.
Attorney Tania Koen said in a text message that Pistorius and Barry Steenkamp met face-to-face on June 22 for a victim-offender dialogue.
The dialogue gives victims of crime or their next of kin a chance to meet with the perpetrators if they so choose before the perpetrator can be eligible for parole
If Barry is happy with the outcome of the talks and believes his daughter’s killer was truly remorseful, he could give the green light for his release.
Koen confirmed the meeting but declined to give further details. She wrote in her message: “The dialogue is a private and confidential matter, therefore we ask that our clients’ privacy be respected.”
Pistorius, once a double-amputee star who made history by running at the Olympics, was eligible for parole last year, eight years after killing his girlfriend at his home in the South African capital, Pretoria.
Pistorius, now 35, was finally convicted of murder in 2015 after a long and dramatic trial and numerous appeals. He was sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison.
He served most of his sentence at a prison in Pretoria, but was moved to a facility in the southern city of Gqeberha, the Steenkamps’ hometown, before meeting with Barry Steenkamp.
In South Africa, those convicted of a serious crime must serve at least half of their sentence before being eligible for parole.