Former paralympian Oscar Pistorius is allegedly desperate for the family of Reeva Steenkamp to forgive him for the murder of their daughter, according to international reports.
Pistorius is currently serving a 13-year sentence in a low-security facility for shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his Pretoria home on Valentine’s Day in 2013. On the fateful night, Reeva Steenkamp went to the bathroom and when Pistorius woke up he fired shots through the bathroom door. In court he claimed he thought she was a burglar.
Pistorius has stopped exercising, started smoking cigarettes, grown a ‘big beard’ and turned to God, according to a family friend who has visited the disgraced athlete in jail on four occasions.
Bill Schroder, the ex-headteacher of Pistorius, told The Sun on Sunday: “What he really, really wants is forgiveness.”
“I said to him that if he had killed my daughter I doubt I would forgive him,” said Schroder.
“He is more concerned about forgiveness than actually getting out on parole. In fact, he has a real fear about getting parole as he knows they’ll be a backlash.”
Pistorius’ father, Henke maintains that his son has pleaded for forgiveness ‘since the start’, according to Pretoria News.
“Oscar has already, from the start and over and over asked for forgiveness. He told the first witness who came on the scene how sorry he was,” said Pretorius senior. “He asked everyone’s forgiveness and said he would work for the Lord for the rest of his life if Reeva’s life could be spared.”
In 2018, Reeva’s mother, June said that she had forgivenPistorius but still wanted him punished. She expressed that she had no interest in speaking to him and had not personally told Pistorius he was forgiven, according to The Independent.
The Steenkamp family did not want to comment on the claims that Pistorius wanted their forgiveness for killing their daughter, according to Tania Koen, the family lawyer.
The husband of Reeva’s cousin, Kim Martin told Pretoria News that the family had put ‘all of this behind them’ and will not speak on the matter any further.
Pistorius “still maintains to this day it was an accident,” according to Schroder.
“I did feel he was showing remorse,” added the ex-headteacher.
“He quoted a study by an expert that when you are woken from a deep sleep and are put into a situation of fear that you act very differently to when fully conscious. I listened to him but did not buy it.”
