Oscar in social media hell

Paralympian Oscar Pistorius's romantic recollections of slain model Reeva Steenkamp were met with scorn on social media, with many users openly accusing him of murdering her .

Pistorius is said to be finding "comfort" in surroundings he shared with Steenkamp.

A statement by his family yesterday read: "There is not a moment in the day that Oscar does not mourn for his girlfriend and Reeva's family, and all those who were close to her, are in his thoughts constantly.

"Over the past few weeks, Oscar has found comfort in spending time and sharing memories with many of those whom she loved, in surroundings where shared memories were created."

The Pistorius family also bemoaned media reports and social media commentary on the tragic event, saying there was a "disregard shown by some - specifically those commenting via social media - for the profound pain that Reeva's family and friends were going through".

The statement, issued by the family's media manager, Anneliese Burgess, said: "For Oscar, the [grieving] process is incredibly overwhelming as he struggles not only to deal with the manner in which he lost his girlfriend, but also his role in it."

Dlawre30 commented: "He shot her four times! He killed her pure and simple! And, guess what, Oscar? The stigma is never going to go away. Whatever the eventual verdict of the court case, you'll always be the man who shot his girlfriend - and Facebook and Twitter will always remind you of that fact!"

Punungwe said: "He is always going to be the man who shot his girlfriend on Valentine's Day."

Don Peter van Ginkel said: "My opinion is that Oscartjie shot Reeva [while] she was communicating with someone behind a LOCKED toilet door.

''If anyone is really mourning it would be Reeva's family."

Pistorius is currently out on R1-million bail until the beginning of his trial in June.