'Reeva murder devastated us', father tells court in Oscar Pistorius trial
Tuesday 14 June 2016 18:05, UK
Reeva Steenkamp's father revealed the pain the family had suffered on the second day of Oscar Pistorius' trial on Tuesday.
During an emotional address at the sentence hearing for murdering his daughter, Barry Steenkamp broke down in tears and said he and his wife June had forgiven the Paralympian but that he must pay for his crime.
Catch up on day two as it happened on the Sky News blog
Shaking with emotion, the 73-year-old described the devastating effect the murder has had on him, revealing he had suffered a stroke and punctured his arm with a needle to try to replicate the pain his daughter had felt.
"Every day of my life, morning, noon, night; I think about her all the time," he said.
"People say it takes two to three years before you start feeling a little bit better about the whole thing.
"I don't wish that on any human being. Finding out what happened devastated us. I ended up having a stroke."
Telling the court his wife was a Christian, he said she felt it "right in her heart" to forgive Pistorius so she could continue with her life.
"June has forgiven, she feels it right in her heart to forgive Oscar," he added.
"But you must understand that forgiving like that does not exonerate you from the crime you committed. Pistorius must understand he must still pay for that."
Witnessing Steenkamp's testimony in Pretoria, Sky News reporter Alex Crawford said: "Every word he spoke was filled with emotion and pain.
"We heard yesterday that Pistorius was a broken man, but Barry Steenkamp also portrayed the figure of a father who himself is absolutely overwhelmed with grief."
Pistorius was convicted of murdering Steenkamp in December after his conviction for manslaughter was overturned on appeal.
Steenkamp avoided most of the lengthy trial because of ill health suffered since losing his daughter in the shooting more than three years ago.
The hearing continues.
