Cape Town, South Africa –
Former South African track and field star Oscar Pistorius has met with the father of Reeva Steenkamp, the woman he shot in 2013, as part of his parole process, the Steenkamp family lawyer told The Associated Press on Friday.
Lawyer Tania Koen said in a text message that Pistorius and Barry Steenkamp met in person on June 22 as part of a so-called victim-perpetrator dialogue. It gives victims of crime or their families the opportunity to meet with offenders if they wish, before the offender is eligible for parole.
Koen confirmed the meeting but declined to give further details. She wrote in her message: “Dialogue is a private and confidential matter, so we ask that our customers’ privacy be respected.”
Pistorius, once a double amputee track and field athlete who made history by running in the Olympics, was paroled last year, eight years after he killed his girlfriend at his home in the South African capital of 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 has served most of his sentence in a Pretoria jail but was transferred to a facility in the southern town of Gqeberha, the Steenkamp’s hometown, before meeting Barry Steenkamp.
A parole hearing for Pistorius was scheduled for last year but was canceled because he had not yet met with Steenkamp’s parents.
In South Africa, those convicted of a serious crime must serve at least half of their sentence before they are eligible for parole. Pistorius had already served time in prison, having been initially convicted of manslaughter – a charge similar to manslaughter – before an appeal by prosecutors resulted in that being overturned and him being convicted of murder.
Pistorius has yet to attend a parole hearing where Justice Department officials will decide whether to parole him early. Pistorius’ lawyer, Julian Knight, said last year he had been “a model prisoner” and had met the requirements for parole.
Pistorius was born with a congenital condition that led to both his legs being amputated below the knee as a baby. He became a multiple Paralympic sprint champion running on carbon fiber blades and even qualified to compete against the world’s best athletes at the London 2012 Olympics.
However, his image as one of the sport’s most inspirational figures was shattered when he shot 29-year-old Steenkamp multiple times through a toilet door at his home in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013. He claimed he mistook her for a dangerous intruder but was convicted of second-degree murder for acting so recklessly by firing his 9mm handgun through the toilet door.