Oscar Pistorius in court.
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)Oscar Pistorius met with the father of Reeva Steenkamp whom he murdered in 2013 as he prepares for a parole bid.
The former South African athlete, nicknamed Blade Runner after his famous racing prosthetics, shot and killed his then-partner Ms Steenkamp claiming that he mistook her for an intruder.
He was jailed in 2015 for 13-and-a-half years after a trial which was beamed around the world on TV.
A lawyer for the Steenkamp family has confirmed that Pistorius met with the model’s father Barry as part of a bid to get parole.
Tania Koen said they met face-to-face on 22 June as part of a a process in South Africa called victim-offender dialogue.
Victims are given the chance chance to meet with offenders before they become eligible for parole.
Ms Koen added: “The dialogue is a private and confidential matter, hence we ask that our clients’ privacy be respected.”
The Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation wrote on its Facebook page: “We extend our love and support to Barry and June (Reeva’a mother) who participated in the process in preparing them for a meeting with Oscar Pistorius. Barry ultimately met with Oscar on 22 June 2022 for the Victim Offender Dialogue.
“A word of sincere gratitude to the Department of Correctional Services, especially the staff at St Albans Prison, for facilitating the process in a sensitive and professional manner.”
In South Africa offenders must serve at least half of their sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
Pistorius must attend a hearing assessing any parole bid. Such a meeting had previously been cancelled because he had not met with Ms Steenkamp’s parents.
The former athlete, who despite being a double-amputee ended up running in the Olympics, has served most of his sentence in Pretoria, but was moved to a facility in the city of Ggeberha, the Steenkamps’ home town, ahead of the meeting.
A spokesman for the prison services said that while Pistorius met with Ms Steenkamp’s father, he will continue to serve his sentence as normal. They added that taking part in the victim-offender dialogue process does not mean parole will be automatically granted.
Pistorius was convicted of murder after the prosecution lodged an appeal after he was found guilty of a lesser offence.
