Johannesburg – South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius, who killed his girlfriend in 2013, met with her parents as part of his rehabilitation, prison officials said on Friday.
Pistorius, 35, known worldwide as the “Blade Runner” because of his carbon-fibre prosthetics, was convicted for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp whom he shot dead in the early hours of Valentine’s Day in 2013.
The Correctional Services department confirmed in a statement on Friday that the meeting between Pistorius and Steenkamp’s parents June and Barry had been completed.
The purpose of the “victim-offender-dialogue” ensures inmates “are able to acknowledge the harm they have caused to their victims and the society at large”, it said.
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A year before killing Steenkamp, Pistorius became the first double-amputee to race at the Olympics at the London 2012 games. He was convicted of her murder in 2015.
Pistorius had been moved in November to the St. Albans Correctional Centre closer to the eastern port city of Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth, where the Steenkamps live.
The former athlete has since been returned to the Atteridgeville prison near the capital Pretoria.
Pistorius is serving a 13-year prison sentence.
Having served half the term, he could be considered for parole.
However, the department of correctional facilities said the meeting does not mark the end of a sentence or parole placement.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Getty Images
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