'Oscar deliberately killed Reeva'

25 August 2015 - 02:03 By Reuters

Oscar Pistorius deliberately killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, her parents said, ahead of an appeal hearing in which prosecutors hope to overturn a court ruling that found the athlete not guilty of murder. It is the first time Reeva Steenkamp's parents have spoken out against the verdict.Pistorius, 28, was found guilty of culpable homicide last year after Judge Thokozile Masipa said state prosecutors had failed to prove the Paralympic gold medallist had shown "intent" to kill.The state argued throughout the six-month trial that Pistorius had deliberately killed Steenkamp when he fired four rounds through a locked toilet door and that she was hiding from him after an argument.Pistorius claimed he believed an intruder was inside the toilet cubicle.Prosecutors filed an appeal last week asking for the verdict to be changed to murder, arguing that he must have known the shots would kill whoever was behind the door, be it an intruder or Reeva.The appeal hearing is due to start in November."What actually came out in court is not the truth," father Barry Steenkamp told Australia's Channel Seven television in an interview aired on Sunday. "He got angry, she went off to the toilet, locked herself inside, and then him pulling out the gun and shooting."June Steenkamp added: "Why didn't he just let her walk away?"Pistorius was due to be released from prison last Friday after serving 10 months of his five-year sentence.Justice Minister Michael Masutha blocked his release because he said the decision was made without legal basis, an intervention the Pistorius family said left them "shocked and disappointed".The decision has been returned to the parole board for reconsideration, which could take up to four months...

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