Now Reeva can rest in peace
Family say model has justice at last
TRAGIC model Reeva Steenkamp’s family said she had justice at last yesterday – as her killer Oscar Pistorius had his jail term doubled.
Reeva, 29, was shot dead by the former Olympian and Paralympian sprinter at his home in 2013.
Her shattered parents Barry and June had to see Pistorius first being found guilty of only manslaughter then being jailed for just six years after the conviction was changed to murder.
Yesterday the couple said their daughter could finally rest in peace – but the ruling by South Africa’s Supreme Court could not bring an end to their pain.
Their family lawyer Tanya Koen said they were “emotional” as they watched the judges unanimously uphold prosecutors’ appeal that the six-year sentence was too lenient.
The judges more than doubled the term to 13 years and five months. Supreme Court Justice Willie Seriti said the initial sentence was “shockingly lenient” and Pistorius should have been given the prescribed 15-year minimum.
The new sentence takes into account 19 months served in prison and under house arrest after the manslaughter conviction.
Pistorius, 31, could previously have been released on parole in mid-2019. The earliest he will now be eligible is 2023.
Koen gave the Steenkamp family’s reaction, saying: “They feel there has been justice for Reeva. She can now rest in peace.
“But people think this is the end of the road for them ... the fact is they still live with Reeva’s loss every day.”
Pistorius killed Reeva by shooting her four times through a closed toilet door with his 9mm pistol. He claimed he mistook his girlfriend for an intruder.
In their full written rulling, the Supreme Court said: “The sentence of six years’ imprisonment is shockingly lenient to a point where it has the effect of trivialising this serious offence.”
The judgment said Pistorius “displays a lack of remorse, and does not appreciate the gravity of his actions.” His brother Carl wrote on Twitter: “Shattered. Heartbroken. Gutted.”
Pistorius is being held at a prison on the outskirts of the South African capital, Pretoria, and did not attend any of the appeal hearings at the court in Bloemfontein.
His lawyers now have the option to appeal against the new sentence at the Constitutional Court. But the court – South Africa’s highest – last year denied him the chance to appeal against his murder conviction.
Pistorius, who was born without calf bones, had his legs amputated as a baby but became a keen sportsman.
After competing as a Paralympic sprinter, the athlete, nicknamed Blade Runner, became the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics in 2012.
People think this is end of the road .. they still live with her loss TANYA KOEN