The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Steenkamps ‘accept sentence’
THE MOTHER of Reeva Steenkamp, the model shot dead by Oscar Pistorius, has said she does “not feel that justice has been done” — but said she accepts the sentence imposed by the judge.
Pistorius, 27, has been jailed for five years for killing his 29-year-old girlfriend — but could be out of prison in 10 months.
The sentence has been criticised by some as too lenient and sparked calls for it to be increased.
Miss Steenkamp’s parents told ITV’s Good Morning Britain they accepted the sentence and “don’t want revenge”.
They said their daughter’s death in the early hours of Valentine’s Day last year remained shrouded in mystery, and “only Oscar knows” the truth.
Miss Steenkamp’s mother June told the programme: “We may not feel that justice has been done but we have just got to accept what the judge decided.
“That’s the law, although it could have been completely different if her decision was different.
Mrs Steenkamp said the family had been “disappointed in her ( the judge’s) judgment” but felt she was left with few options because “she only had certain facts before her”.
Mrs Steenkamp said the family are “very settled with the sentence”.
She added: “He has got to pay for what he has done and it is not that we want vengeance or anything or for him to suffer with his disabilities.
“But at the same time, we feel satisfied that he will realise that you can’t go around doing things like that.
“We don’t want revenge, we want a fair punishment under the circumstances of his disability.
“We wouldn’t have wanted him to go to jail and be abused and I feel that it is fair.
“He will realise that he can’t go around doing that. He can’t kill somebody like that.”
Her husband Barry said: “We have gone along with the judge and her decision.
“Only Oscar knows whether that sentence is acceptable to him. I’ve got my feelings to the whole thing. But we do accept what the judge handed down.”
In the emotionally-charged interview, Mrs Steenkamp added: “If it was a mistake, he has made a tremendous, unbelievable, unforgiveable mistake but I can’t carry that side with me. It will make you ill. We don’t want revenge.”
Her husband said: “Oscar has lost everything. We have lost our daughter.
“And if there is more to this whole unfortunate saga, it is only Oscar Pistorius that knows and he is the one that will have to live with it for the rest of his life.”