Pistorius: Murdered Reeva would want me to be free to help others

Oscar Pistorius says the girlfriend he killed would not want him to waste his life in jail. In his first TV interview since he shot Reeva Steenkamp dead in 2013, the former Paralympic athlete said he understood why some people believed “they should lock me up and throw the key away”. But he said he did not want to “waste his life sitting there” and if “I was afforded the opportunity of redemption I would like to help the less fortunate”. He added: “I would like to believe that if Reeva could look down upon me she would want me to live that life.”

I understand the pain people feel, that loved her and miss her. I feel that same pain.

Oscar Pistorius

Pistorius, 29, faces sentencing for murder on 6 July after his manslaughter sentence was overturned on appeal in December. In the interview, due to be broadcast by ITV on Friday, Pistorius sobs as he recalls the moment he entered the bathroom to find his girlfriend’s body slumped over the toilet. He also reiterated his account of the night he shot and killed 27-year-old model Reeva, saying it was a tragic accident as he believed an intruder was breaking into his home. “Reeva was a fantastic person, but if their premise is based on the fact that I took her life intentionally, which has not been found then it’s a very sad thing,” he said.

And I look back and I think, I always think – how did this possibly happen? I think, how could this have happened? How could this have happened?

Oscar Pistorius

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