Speaking in South Africa, Oscar Pistorius’ uncle, Arnold Pistorius, has said Oscar and the family will finally break the silence on international television once sentencing concludes next week.
Oscar heads to court again next week to discover what jail sentence he will serve for the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
As reported by The Inquisitr , Pistorius was initially convicted of culpable homicide in the shooting of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp , through the closed bathroom door of his home on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
However, at the end of last year, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) overturned the judge’s decision, changing the verdict to murder. At that time, sentencing was set to take place over a period of four days from June 13 to 17.
@mwilliamsthomas ‘ @ITV World Exclusive @OscarPistorius : The Interview to air 24 June DSTV 123. #OscarPistorius pic.twitter.com/hz4EADlLux
— Michael Appel (@TheMikeAppel) June 8, 2016
As reported by News24 , as it gets closer to the date, Arnold Pistorius has opened up to say that once the court case is closed, the “tell all” interview with ITV will be aired to address any misconceptions about the case.
It’s going to be pretty tough for Oscar this week, as he already knows he will be heading back to jail, with the only question now being for how long.
It is thought that Judge Thokozile Masipa will impose a minimum 15-year sentence for the crime, but the former paralympian is hoping his legal team will fight to reduce the sentence.
In related news on the Inquisitr:
- New Book Claims Oscar Pistorius Beat Reeva Steenkamp With A Cricket Bat Before Shooting Her
- Fans Send Messages Of Support To Former Paralympian Oscar Pistorius As Sentencing Set To Happen In June
- Oscar Pistorius Asked For Bribe By Fake Official To Overturn Murder Conviction
Over the years, Arnold Pistorius and the rest of the family have steadfastly received countless offers for interviews – often with large amounts of money involved – and previously these interviews were always rejected.
As reported by the Independent Online , Arnold said this week, “We have been deeply respectful of the legal process and mindful not to contribute to the media frenzy that has characterized this case.”
He continued by saying that despite the “many, many requests” for interviews with Oscar from all over the world “often coupled with huge financial inducements,” the family has always been consistent in their position that there would be no interview, or media engagement, for Oscar’s financial benefit.
Arnold went on to say that, despite his nephew’s “crippling” legal fees, this is still the family’s position, but he added, “Not knowing what the future holds for Oscar after this week, I decided it was necessary to take up one media offer that would provide our family with a voice to address some of the misconceptions that have remained unchallenged.”
Last 3 days of edit finishing off my Oscar Pistorius documentary. Whilst at the same time in final stages of edit of my 4 part new series
— Mark Williams-Thomas (@mwilliamsthomas) June 10, 2016
“Having considered the various offers and options available, I decided to engage with Mark Williams-Thomas. I felt his platform on ITV was the most appropriate place to do this – because of its style and format.”
“Williams-Thomas is a Peabody award-winning investigative journalist, and has followed the case closely from the outset,” Arnold added.
“I wish to make it very clear that this engagement with ITV was my decision, and not Oscar’s initiative.”
Oscar Pistorius sits down for first TV interview since Reeva’s death https://t.co/5TMWi4UQ1n via @Channel24 pic.twitter.com/Cwke5mK1Q3
— News24 (@News24) June 9, 2016
As reported by the Independent , Oscar himself sat with Williams-Thomas recently as part of the special hour-long program on ITV, set for broadcast on June 24.
ITV released a statement which read: “In the documentary, Pistorius gives his account of what happened the night he killed his girlfriend and is questioned about key details of the prosecution case which resulted in his conviction.”
“He also talks about his relationship with Reeva , the allegations of his previous abusive behavior towards her and his previous use of firearms.”
[Photo by Alon Skuy – Pool/Gallo Images/Getty Images]