Reeva Steenkamp’s brother makes last-ditch plea to keep her murderer Oscar Pistorius behind bars with the shamed Paralympian expected to win his freedom tomorrow

The brother of murdered model Reeva Steenkamp has tonight made a last-ditch appeal for her killer Oscar Pistorius to remain behind bars.

Shamed Paralympian Pistorius is expected to win his freedom at a parole hearing in Pretoria tomorrow after being considered for release for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva on Valentine’s Day morning in 2013.

Now Reeva’s brother Adam Steenkamp has begged South Africa’s parole board to keep Pistorius locked up and serve his full 13-year sentence. He blamed the tension of the case on their heartbroken father’s stroke after the shooting and his death in September.

Speaking to MailOnline from his home in Britain, Adam said: ‘The last ten years on earth have been traumatic for my father trying to cope with Reeva’s death. It took a terrible toll on his health. First, he suffered a stroke that led to years of ill health. I don’t think his body can handle it anymore.’

Reeva, who was 29 when she was killed by her boyfriend, was the half-sister of IT consultant Adam, who lives in Suffolk with his wife and children.

Their father Barry went to his grave haunted by the fact that Pistorius had never admitted his intention to kill Reeva.

Both his late father and stepmother June Steenkamp were adamant that Pistorius should remain behind bars until he told them the truth about how he deliberately murdered their daughter.

Ms Steenkamp says she will not oppose the athlete’s bid for freedom and will not attend tomorrow’s hearing, despite her disgust at the killing and her hatred of him.

Adam, 46, who in the past described Pistorius’ tearful pleas of innocence at his trial as a “grotesque pantomime” continues to insist the Paralympic gold medalist’s bid for freedom tomorrow would fall on deaf ears.

He told MailOnline today: ‘From a personal point of view I believe Oscar should serve his full sentence, but the other side of me believes I should fully support the laws of the country.

‘The personal aspect is so much more difficult for me to fathom and understand. You have to focus on why Reeva died, but you can’t quite see it.

“The thought that comes to my mind is that he’ll be a little shaken up if he gets paroled.

‘I thought the original sentence was mild in itself. I support and understand the reasons for someone to be released on parole, but this is about my sister and I would prefer that he serve the time he has been given.

“The results of his actions caused us so much grief and unhappiness as Reeva’s family. I still believe he took no responsibility for his actions that day.

‘I base that opinion on my father Barry, who obviously visited him in prison, so I can’t feel any different. You have to serve your time.

‘My children are growing up now and my teenage daughter asks a lot of questions and of course reads things.

‘She knows Reeva’s story, but doesn’t know all the graphic details, but is old enough to discuss it with her.

‘She started asking me questions about the parole and in her head she can’t quite understand why if you do something like Pistorius did and get released.

‘In her eyes, we can’t do anything about something that was very tragic and wrong.

‘I try not to be bitter. This is life and people go to jail and get parole. You have to move on, no matter how much her death still hurts us as a family.

‘My father Barry died in September from an ongoing illness related to his heart. He turned 80, it was a bit unexpected and it surprised us all.

“I won’t speak to June before the parole decision, but ultimately I will have to accept whatever decision is made no matter how much it hurts.”

Pistorius, the double amputee athlete who broke barriers by competing on carbon fiber running blades at the 2012 London Olympics, shot Reeva several times through a closed washroom door at his home in the South African capital Pretoria in the early hours . of Valentine’s Day 2013.

His claim that he shot her in the belief that an intruder had entered his home while he slept was ultimately rejected by Pretoria judges after he was acquitted of murder and found guilty of culpable homicide.

He was initially convicted of manslaughter, a charge similar to manslaughter, in 2014, but the case went through a number of appeals before Pistorius was ultimately sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison for murder in 2017.

Serious offenders in South Africa must serve at least half their sentence before they are eligible for parole.

Pistorius’ case and his parole were complicated by the appeal of prosecutors, who first challenged his manslaughter conviction and then a six-year sentence for murder, which they called shockingly lenient.

The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in 2017 that Pistorius must serve the South African minimum sentence of 15 years for murder, but took into account the year and seven months he had already served for manslaughter when handing down the 13 years and five months sentence .

However, the court erred by not counting another period Pistorius had served while his murder conviction was being appealed, meaning he was effectively eligible for parole in March when he was told at his first hearing that he would not be eligible until August 2024. .

Pistorius’ lawyers took his case to the country’s highest Constitutional Court. The decision to give Pistorius another parole hearing tomorrow is essentially an admission of the appeal court’s blunder and will likely help him get out.

At breakfast the killer will be taken from his cell and appear before a parole board at Atteridgevale Prison. His legal team, led by Conrad Dormehl, will argue that he has served sufficient time and that there have been official blunders regarding the time he has served. rate.

Ms Steenkamp will remain at her home in Port Elizabeth, but lawyer Annade Theatrt-Hofmeyr will read an impact statement on her behalf.

There is no guarantee that Pistorius will be released early. A parole board will take into account a number of factors, including his behavior and disciplinary record in prison, his mental health and the likelihood of him committing another crime.

He could be released on full parole or on day parole, where he would be allowed to live and work in the community but return to prison at night.

Pistorius was born with a congenital condition that led to his legs being amputated below the knee when he was a baby, but he took to the track and won multiple Paralympic titles on his running skates.

He is the only double amputee to compete in the Olympics and his performance in London caused a stir.

Known as the ‘Blade Runner’, he was at the height of his fame when he murdered Steenkamp months after the London Olympics.

During his murder trial, he claimed that he accidentally shot Reeva with his licensed 9mm pistol because he thought she was a dangerous intruder hiding in his bathroom in the middle of the night.

Pistorius turned 37 on Wednesday and has not been seen for almost a decade, although there have been occasional glimpses of his time in prison.

Ms Steenkamp was offered the opportunity to meet her daughter’s killer in the summer of 2022, but declined.

She said: ‘I couldn’t see myself going without hurting him. I didn’t want to go to jail for assaulting him. That would have been a great opportunity. Things haven’t gotten better. It gets worse as time goes by because we miss Reeva every day she is not with us.

‘It’s very stressful that she couldn’t spend our last days with us because he took her away.

‘Oscar took a lot from us and from her. So instead of getting angry, I now get angry. I’m mad at him. It’s horrible to say, but I can’t stand him.’