June Steenkamp’s lawyer says Oscar Pistorius parole decision not a surprise

June Steenkamp’s lawyer said the decision to grant Oscar Pistorius parole had not come as a surprise and that they were expecting this outcome.

Pistorius was on Friday granted parole after serving a total of eight years for the murder of June’s daughter, Reeva Steenkamp.

The decision was taken following a hearing at the Atteridgeville Prison in Pretoria.

Her lawyer, Tania Koen, said that she had prepared June for the possibility that Pistorius’ application for parole would be successful.

“I prepared her quite well for the fact that he will possibly get parole. I also prepared them in March this year earlier. So we did expect the outcome, it didn’t come as a surprise. And because it’s part of our law. Our legal system dictates that an offender,, after they’ve served a certain portion of their sentence is eligible to be considered.”

June Steenkamp did not oppose parole but in her victim impact statement, which was read out by a legal representative at the hearing on Friday, she said she hoped Pistorius’ temper and his behaviour towards women would be addressed.

And the conditions under which he’s been granted parole now include that he will have to attend therapy centred on anger management and gender-based violence, among other things, which Koen said June was satisfied with.

“June feels her victim impact statement was important because it was clearly considered by the parole board when they made the decision and when they decided which conditions to impose. And why that’s so important, I believe for all victims, it’s important to be part of the process. And June being part of the process hopefully will show other victims that it is important to be part of the process because it’s important the parole board has the complete profile of the offender in front of them when they make their decision.”

-EWN

In other news – Photos: Actress Nomvelo Makhanya’s new look has Mzansi gushing

Well-known Mzansi actress Nomvelo Makhanya has quickly become one of the most sought-after actresses in South Africa with an illustrious career spanning years.

Since her thrust into stardom, she has wowed many with her talent. Despite being one of the most followed stars, she has kept her private life under wraps. She has quickly become an influencer thanks to her huge social media following. The actress set social media abuzz after she dropped her picture-perfect photos. Read More