It was bad luck Reeva Steenkamp met Oscar Pistorius,
her mother has said, as the "volatile" athlete "would have
killed someone sooner or later".
Speaking to The Times, June Steenkamp calls Pistorius
"pathetic", "moody", "gun-toting" and "possessive".
She rejects both his apology and his version of events, but
admits: "He's the only one who knows the truth."
Pistorius is serving five years for the culpable homicide of
girlfriend Reeva. He could be out in 10 months.
The South African athlete was cleared of murder.
'About to leave'
June Steenkamp told The Times , which is serialising her
book, Reeva: A Mother's Story, which is to be published on
6 November, that Reeva had told her the couple had not
yet entered a sexual relationship and had "nagging doubts
about their compatibility".
She says: "She had confided to me that she hadn't slept
with him. They'd shared a bed, but she was scared to take
the relationship to that level.
"She wouldn't want to sleep with Oscar if she wasn't sure. I
believe their relationship was coming to an end. In her
heart of hearts, she didn't think it was making either of
them happy."
Ms Steenkamp, 68, who was not called to testify at the
trial, says this may have played a part in what happened
on the night of the shooting, Valentine's Day last year.
She rejects his version of events, that there was no row
and that he had thought there was an intruder in the toilet
cubicle when he fired four shots through the door "without
thinking".
"There is no doubt in our minds that something went
horribly wrong, something upset her so terribly that she hid
behind a locked door with two mobile phones," June writes.
Other words she uses to describe Pistorius are "arrogant",
"moody", "combustible", "trigger-happy", "vague", "evasive"
and "shifty".
She believes Reeva, 29, was about to leave Pistorius, 27.
She says: "Her clothes were packed. There is no doubt in
our minds: she had decided to leave Oscar that night."
In the excerpt of the book serialised in the paper, Ms
Steenkamp refers to Pistorius's apology to them in court.
"Why decide to say sorry to me in a televised trial in front
of the whole world? I was unmoved by his apology.
"I felt if I appeared to be sorry for him at this stage of his
trial on the charge of premeditated murder, it would in the
eyes of others lessen the awfulness of what he had done.
He was in the box trying to save his own skin."
Nevertheless, the parents say they do want to meet
Pistorius.
Although she says "I am not entirely sure what I am going
to say", father Barry, 71, says he wants an apology.
"I would like him to really, truthfully say, although he said
it in court, 'I'm sorry.' I would like him just to say it to our
faces."
Ms Steenkamp also talks about the "wrenching pain that
you get in your heart" when thinking of her daughter's
death.
"It's always there. The minute your eyes open in the
morning, or if you wake up in the middle of the night, there
it is."
Pistorius, an amputee sprinter, became the first athlete to
compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games
.
He is serving his sentence in Pretoria's Kgosi Mampuru II
jail.
Pistorius was also given a three-year suspended sentence
for firing a gun in a restaurant.
Inside Oscar Pistorius's home
Balcony
Mr Pistorius said he and Ms Steenkamp had dinner at
about 19:00 before going to bed at 21:00. He said he
woke in the early hours, spoke briefly to his girlfriend
and got up to close the sliding door and curtains.
Judge Thokozile Masipa questioned the reliability of
several witnesses who said they heard screams and
gunshots between about 03:12 and 03:17, saying most
had 'got facts wrong'.
Bathroom noise
Mr Pistorius said he heard the bathroom window sliding
open and believed that an intruder, or intruders, had
entered the bathroom through a window which was not
fitted with burglar bars.
Mr Pistorius said he grabbed his firearm and told Ms
Steenkamp, who he thought was still in bed, to call the
police.
The judge said it made no sense that Ms Steenkamp did
not hear him scream 'Get out' or call the police, as she
had her mobile phone with her.
Shooting
Mr Pistorius could see the bathroom window was open
and toilet door closed. He said he did not know whether
the intruders were outside on a ladder or in the toilet.
He had his firearm in front of him, he heard a movement
inside the toilet and thought whoever was inside was
coming out to attack him.
'Before I knew it, I had fired four shots at the door,' he
said.
The judge said she did not accept that Mr Pistorius fired
the gun by accident or before he knew what was
happening. She said he had armed himself with a lethal
weapon and clearly wanted to use it. The other question,
she said, was why he fired not one, but four shots before
he ran back to the room to try to find Ms Steenkamp.
Bedroom
Mr Pistorius said he went back to the bedroom and
noticed that Ms Steenkamp was not there.
Mr Pistorius said this was when he realised she could
have been in the toilet and rushed back to the bathroom.
Toilet door
Mr Pistorius said he screamed for help and went back to
the bathroom where he found the toilet was locked. He
returned to the bedroom, pulled on his prosthetic legs
and turned on the lights before bashing in the toilet door
with a cricket bat.
When the door panel broke, he found the key and
unlocked the door and found Ms Steenkamp slumped on
the floor with her head on the toilet bowl. He then carried
her downstairs, where he was met by neighbours.
her mother has said, as the "volatile" athlete "would have
killed someone sooner or later".
Speaking to The Times, June Steenkamp calls Pistorius
"pathetic", "moody", "gun-toting" and "possessive".
She rejects both his apology and his version of events, but
admits: "He's the only one who knows the truth."
Pistorius is serving five years for the culpable homicide of
girlfriend Reeva. He could be out in 10 months.
The South African athlete was cleared of murder.
'About to leave'
June Steenkamp told The Times , which is serialising her
book, Reeva: A Mother's Story, which is to be published on
6 November, that Reeva had told her the couple had not
yet entered a sexual relationship and had "nagging doubts
about their compatibility".
She says: "She had confided to me that she hadn't slept
with him. They'd shared a bed, but she was scared to take
the relationship to that level.
"She wouldn't want to sleep with Oscar if she wasn't sure. I
believe their relationship was coming to an end. In her
heart of hearts, she didn't think it was making either of
them happy."
Ms Steenkamp, 68, who was not called to testify at the
trial, says this may have played a part in what happened
on the night of the shooting, Valentine's Day last year.
She rejects his version of events, that there was no row
and that he had thought there was an intruder in the toilet
cubicle when he fired four shots through the door "without
thinking".
"There is no doubt in our minds that something went
horribly wrong, something upset her so terribly that she hid
behind a locked door with two mobile phones," June writes.
Other words she uses to describe Pistorius are "arrogant",
"moody", "combustible", "trigger-happy", "vague", "evasive"
and "shifty".
She believes Reeva, 29, was about to leave Pistorius, 27.
She says: "Her clothes were packed. There is no doubt in
our minds: she had decided to leave Oscar that night."
In the excerpt of the book serialised in the paper, Ms
Steenkamp refers to Pistorius's apology to them in court.
"Why decide to say sorry to me in a televised trial in front
of the whole world? I was unmoved by his apology.
"I felt if I appeared to be sorry for him at this stage of his
trial on the charge of premeditated murder, it would in the
eyes of others lessen the awfulness of what he had done.
He was in the box trying to save his own skin."
Nevertheless, the parents say they do want to meet
Pistorius.
Although she says "I am not entirely sure what I am going
to say", father Barry, 71, says he wants an apology.
"I would like him to really, truthfully say, although he said
it in court, 'I'm sorry.' I would like him just to say it to our
faces."
Ms Steenkamp also talks about the "wrenching pain that
you get in your heart" when thinking of her daughter's
death.
"It's always there. The minute your eyes open in the
morning, or if you wake up in the middle of the night, there
it is."
Pistorius, an amputee sprinter, became the first athlete to
compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games
.
He is serving his sentence in Pretoria's Kgosi Mampuru II
jail.
Pistorius was also given a three-year suspended sentence
for firing a gun in a restaurant.
Inside Oscar Pistorius's home
Balcony
Mr Pistorius said he and Ms Steenkamp had dinner at
about 19:00 before going to bed at 21:00. He said he
woke in the early hours, spoke briefly to his girlfriend
and got up to close the sliding door and curtains.
Judge Thokozile Masipa questioned the reliability of
several witnesses who said they heard screams and
gunshots between about 03:12 and 03:17, saying most
had 'got facts wrong'.
Bathroom noise
Mr Pistorius said he heard the bathroom window sliding
open and believed that an intruder, or intruders, had
entered the bathroom through a window which was not
fitted with burglar bars.
Mr Pistorius said he grabbed his firearm and told Ms
Steenkamp, who he thought was still in bed, to call the
police.
The judge said it made no sense that Ms Steenkamp did
not hear him scream 'Get out' or call the police, as she
had her mobile phone with her.
Shooting
Mr Pistorius could see the bathroom window was open
and toilet door closed. He said he did not know whether
the intruders were outside on a ladder or in the toilet.
He had his firearm in front of him, he heard a movement
inside the toilet and thought whoever was inside was
coming out to attack him.
'Before I knew it, I had fired four shots at the door,' he
said.
The judge said she did not accept that Mr Pistorius fired
the gun by accident or before he knew what was
happening. She said he had armed himself with a lethal
weapon and clearly wanted to use it. The other question,
she said, was why he fired not one, but four shots before
he ran back to the room to try to find Ms Steenkamp.
Bedroom
Mr Pistorius said he went back to the bedroom and
noticed that Ms Steenkamp was not there.
Mr Pistorius said this was when he realised she could
have been in the toilet and rushed back to the bathroom.
Toilet door
Mr Pistorius said he screamed for help and went back to
the bathroom where he found the toilet was locked. He
returned to the bedroom, pulled on his prosthetic legs
and turned on the lights before bashing in the toilet door
with a cricket bat.
When the door panel broke, he found the key and
unlocked the door and found Ms Steenkamp slumped on
the floor with her head on the toilet bowl. He then carried
her downstairs, where he was met by neighbours.
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