The
Steenkamps have always had faith in the justice system, they insist – and that
faith was restored today.
This
after Oscar Pistorius’s initial murder sentence was
doubled by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) on
Friday.
Through
their lawyer Tania Koen, June and Barry Steenkamp confirmed to YOU that they
were pleased at the news. Reeva was shot dead by Oscar through
the bathroom door of his Pretoria home on Valentine’s Day 2013.
But
the new, harsher sentence doesn’t quite mean closure for the Steenkamps.
“Nothing
is going to bring Reeva back, so we can’t say we’re going forward,” June said.
“But
what this means to us is justice for Reeva,” she added. “We feel the loss of
her life every day and we mourn the fact that she’s not coming back to us. We
no longer have to focus and pour all our attention on court proceedings.”
Judge
Thokozile Masipa had earlier sentenced the former Paralympic hero to six years
in prison at the Pretoria High Court in July 2016.
The
sentence was described by the state as “shockingly
lenient” and unsuitable for a charge of murder, when the case came before the SCA in Bloemfontein three weeks ago.
On
Friday it was announced that the SCA's decision was a
unanimous one – that the NPA should be granted leave to appeal and that Oscar’s
sentence be extended to 13 years and five months.
June
had also reached out to the family of slain Eastern Cape teacher, Jayde
Panayiotou. Jayde’s husband Christopher, and one of his co-accused, Sinethemba
Neneme, were sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday after a long and drawn-out
court battle.
“Jayde’s
husband was sentenced to life imprisonment today. We want to reach out to the
Inggs family and share with them our happiness that justice has also been
carried out for them today,” the Steenkamp’s said.
Judge
Legoabe Willie Seriti said on Friday that Oscar must serve the minimum sentence
of 15 years for the crime, but the time that he has already served in prison
has been taken into account, News24 reported.
Oscar
celebrated his 31st birthday behind bars at the Atteridgeville prison outside
of Pretoria and didn’t attend court proceedings.
His
legal team, under the leadership of Barry Roux, defenced the state’s request on
his behalf.
Oscar
was hoping to be freed on parole as early as 2019. But now he won’t be eligible
for parole until he serves at least two thirds of his new sentence, which he
will have done by 2024.
Oscar’s
older brother, Carl Pistorius, has since posted the words, “Shattered.
Heartbroken. Gutted,” on Twitter.
