Reeva Steenkamp’s parents ready to take part in victim-offender dialogue

The parents of Reeva Steenkamp,  who was murdered by Oscar Pistorius on Valentine’s Day in 2013, say they are prepared to take part in a victim-offender dialogue as part of parole considerations for Pistorius.

The former athlete has served half of his sentence at the Atteridgeville Correctional Centre and is eligible to be considered for parole.

But the lawyer for the Steenkamps says protocols were initially not followed by authorities as the parents were not properly notified of the parole procedures.

Pistorius has apparently indicated he is willing to meet with Steenkamp’s parents as part of the parole process. The Steenkamps’ lawyer, Tanya Koen, says the parole board had decided to convene late last month, but Steenkamp’s parents had not been consulted.

Pistorius fired four times through the door of his bedroom toilet where Steenkamp was. He maintained that he mistook her for a burglar.

He was initially found guilty of culpable homicide, but when he appealed to the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2015, that was changed to murder.

n December 2017, Pistorius filed an application to the Constitutional Court seeking to overturn a higher prison sentence handed down by the Appeals Court in November of the same year.

The Supreme Court had increased his sentence by 13 years and five months.

The court more than doubled the charge from six years for fatally shooting Steenkamp.