The sister of murdered Reeva Steenkamp has warned South African authorities against freeing Oscar Pistorius, saying she believes he will kill again if released.
Heartbroken Simone Steenkamp has spoken out about her distress over losing her younger sister, who was shot in 2013.
The 52-year-old does not believe that Pistorius, who is appealing his jail term, killed Reeva by accident – and thinks he shot her because she was leaving him.
Reeva Steenkamp was shot in 2013 at the hands of Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, who was found guilty of her murder
Reeva’s sister Simone has spoken out about her sister’s death, and warned South African authorities to not let Pistorius out of prison
Simone said: ‘Pistorius will come out one day and he will do it again, he is that dangerous. It is in him — he will kill again.
‘In a way I feel sorry for Pistorius. He has not had an easy life, what with the double amputation of his legs when he was just a baby and the loss of his mother at the age of 16.
‘He worked hard to get where he did and I think the fame and acclaim went to his head and he just lost it with my sister’, reports the Sun on Sunday.
‘It is in him — he will kill again’: 52-year-old Simone fears that Oscar Pistorius would take someone else’s life if he were to be released (pictured: Pistorius with Reeva Steenkamp)
Simone went on to say: ‘In a way I feel sorry for Pistorius. He has not had an easy life, what with the double amputation of his legs when he was just a baby and the loss of his mother at the age of 16’
Pistorius shot and killed 29-year-old Ms Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013 when he fired four times through the door of his bedroom toilet, claiming he had mistaken her for an intruder.
Simone went on to describe her sister, who is 18 years her junior, as funny, and talked of how much she loved the Reeva, who was a model.
According to Simone, who was living in the UK when Reeva died, the initial trial was a struggle for the entire family. She says that she struggled with the seven month court proceedings – but her grieving mother June managed to sit through the entire thing.
However, she now says that she can get through the anniversary of her sister’s death – and uses the day to remember how much Reeva made her laugh.
Pistorius shot and killed 29-year-old Ms Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013 when he fired four times through the door of his bedroom toilet, claiming he had mistaken her for an intruder
This is not the first time Simone has spoken out about the paralympian. Before Pretorius was first sentenced in 2014, after being convicted of culpable homicide, she begged the judge to give him a tough prison sentence.
She said to MailOnline: ‘Oscar deserves prison. How can he just stay in the luxury of his house after taking somebody’s life. What is house arrest if not just wrong?
‘Community service and house arrest are ridiculous. These should be for people who are stealing or other minor offences. Not shooting somebody. Reeva deserves justice.
This is not the first time Simone has spoken out about the paralympian. Before Pretorius was first sentenced in 2014, after being convicted of culpable homicide, she begged the judge to give him jail time, not house arrest (Pictured l-r: June and Simone Steenkamp)
She says that she struggled with the seven month court proceedings – but her grieving mother June (pictured) managed to sit through the entire thing
‘This case will set a precedent all around the world. We do not want other men to get off just because Oscar Pistorius has. It is still homicide.’
In November last year, Supreme Court of Appeal judges were ‘unanimous’ in sentencing Pistorius to South Africa’s minimum 15 years for murder, ruling Pistorius’ six year punishment sentence for killing Reeva Steenkamp had been ‘inappropriate’.
The time he has already served behind bars will be deducted from that punishment, so the effective sentence is 13 years.
Previously a role model for disabled people worldwide, Pistorius was released from jail in 2015 after serving one year of a five-year term for culpable homicide – the equivalent of manslaughter.
However, shortly after his release that year, Pistorius was found guilty of murder, irrespective of whoever was behind the door when he opened fire with a pistol he kept under his bed.
The year before he killed Steenkamp, Pistorius became the first double-amputee to race at the Olympics when he competed at the London 2012 games.