Former South African Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, who was jailed for 13 years for shooting girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, is seeking forgiveness of the family of his victim.
Pistorius, in 2013, shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his Pretoria home.
Pistorius, 33, gunned down model Reeva, 29, in their bathroom in Pretoria, South Africa, on Valentine’s Day 2013, claiming he mistook her for a burglar.
A friend of Pistorius who has visited him in jail reportedly said t
he disgraced athlete was asking to be forgiven by Steenkamp’s bereaved family members.
Bill Schroder, the athlete’s former headteacher, told The Sun on Sunday: “What he really, really wants is forgiveness.
“He is more concerned about forgiveness than actually getting out on parole. In fact, he has a real fear about getting parole as he knows they’ll be a backlash.”
In 2018, Steenkamp’s mother June said she had forgiven Pistorius but had no interest in talking to him. Ms Steenkamp added that she had not personally told Pistorius he was forgiven.
Mr Schroder also said Pistorius “still maintains to this day it was an accident.”
He said: “I did feel he was showing remorse.
“He quoted a study by an expert that when you are woken from a deep sleep and are put into a situation of fear that you act very differently to when fully conscious. I listened to him but did not buy it.”
