Convicted paraolympian Oscar Pistorius has been making financial payments to the family of Reeva Steenkamp, the girlfriend he killed last Valentine's Day, since shortly after the fatal shooting and he intends to set up a trust fund for the family once the sentencing is over, according to testimony at his sentencing trial today.
The financial revelation came as a probation officer warned the court that if the legless Pistorius is sentenced to prison he would be vulnerable to attacks by other inmates, particularly if his prosthetic legs were taken away from him.
Probation officer Annette Vergeer was the second law enforcement official to suggest Pistorius be spared prison despite being convicted of culpable homicide - the equivalent of manslaughter - in Steenkamp's death. On Monday, a corrections social worker urged the court to sentence Pistorius to three years of house arrest along with community service.
Pistorius, a champion sprinter known as the Blade Runner for his prosthetic blades, could be sentenced to as much as 15 years in prison.
Vergeer also told the court that Pistorius has been making monthly payments of $530 (6,000 Rand) a month to the Steenkamp family since March 2013, one month after their daughter's death.
No comments:
Post a Comment