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Home / Entertainment

Reeva Steenkamp's family outraged by 'untrue' Oscar Pistorius movie

By Thomas Burrows
Daily Mail·
12 Nov, 2017 07:26 PM6 mins to read

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The new movie based on the true events around Oscar Pistorius. / Lifetime

A controversial TV film about Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius that provoked outrage from the families of both Reeva Steenkamp and her killer athlete lover has been aired in the US.

The film, titled Oscar Pistorius - The Blade Runner Killer stars South African actor Andreas Dammas as Pistorius and Toni Garrn, who once dated Leonardo DiCaprio, as Reeva.

It has been produced by US cable and satellite TV company and was released this week.

A scene from the TV film, Oscar Pistorius - The Blade Runner Killer.
A scene from the TV film, Oscar Pistorius - The Blade Runner Killer.

Pistorius earned worldwide fame after reaching the semifinals of the 400 metres race during the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

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The following year, on Valentine's Day, the double amputee shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his home in Pretoria, South Africa.

Steenkamp, a model and law graduate, was locked inside a toilet when Pistorius fired four shots from a handgun through the bathroom door.

During his trial, the athlete maintained he thought he was shooting an intruder and denied being jealous or aggressive during his relationship with the 30-year-old.

After a series of legal delays and a trial over a six month period, he was found guilty in September 2014 of culpable homicide or manslaughter.

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He was given a five-year sentence, but the decision to free him from jail and out him under house arrest for the remaining four years of his term caused uproar.

Over a two-year period, he was brought before the courts several times.

In 2015 the Supreme Court of Appeal convicted Pistorius of murder, saying his testimony was "vacillating and untruthful", and last year he began a six-year sentence.

The Steenkamp family said they were "horrified" by the film's release which they described as "untrue and incorrect".

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They are considering taking legal action.

A scene from the TV film, Oscar Pistorius - The Blade Runner Killer.
A scene from the TV film, Oscar Pistorius - The Blade Runner Killer.

The Steenkamp statement reads: "They are horrified and upset to read a report that the movie is told from Steenkamp and her mother's perspective".

"June Steenkamp was not approached by Lifetime to participate, comment or be part of the making of the film, and did not give the producers any assistance.

"Any impression that is created that this is June's view, or that the movie is endorsed by the Steenkamp family, is untrue and incorrect."

Reeva's sister Simone dismissed the movie as simply "a money-making exercise and very wishy-washy".

She told MailOnline: "My mother was mortified when she first found about it. When I told her about it, she said 'You have upset me now". She was not happy.

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"I watched a snippet today and the people don't even talk proper South African. They sound either British or American, but they certainly don't sound like South Africans."

A scene from the TV film, Oscar Pistorius - The Blade Runner Killer.
A scene from the TV film, Oscar Pistorius - The Blade Runner Killer.

The model's father Barry was left reeling when the moment in the movie she was gunned down by Pistorius popped up on his Facebook feed, the family lawyer said.

Tania Koen told MailOnline they had "no idea" any movie had been made.

She said: "It has just opened all the old wounds for Barry and June."

Pistorius' family also slammed the movie and said they would be taking legal action.

Carl Pistorius, Oscar's brother, said in a statement: "The film was made with blatant disregard of both the Steenkamp and Pistorius families, as well as complete disregard for Reeva and Oscar.

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"Neither Oscar, the defence or the family were involved in the production of this 'film' in anyway.

"The 'film' is not true reflection of what happened on the day of this tragedy and the subsequent trial of the matter.

"The 'film' titled Oscar Pistorius - The Blade Runner Killer is a gross distortion of the findings of the court.

"Oscar was subjected to a month-long psychological evaluation which was insisted upon by the prosecution; the psychological evaluation of Oscar was undertaken by leading minds in the field.

"Oscar was subjected to in depth assessments and on-going tests almost daily for a month long; at no stage was Oscar found to have the mind of a killer.

"The 'film' is a gross misrepresentation of the truth. The 'film' is rather a representation of what the prosecution tried to portray.

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"The will be taking legal action".

Last week prosecutors fought to increase Pistorius' prison sentence.

They urged five judges at South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal to overturn the six-year sentence handed to the double-amputee athlete and give him the prescribed minimum of 15 years.

"Murder is murder,' said chief prosecutor Andrea Johnson, adding the sentence given to Pistorius by Judge Thokozile Masipa in 2015 was "shockingly lenient".

If the court agrees, Pistorius, 30, could remain in prison until after he is 40.

PISTORIUS: FROM OLYMPIC GLORY TO SIX-YEAR JAIL SENTENCE

Oscar Pistorius, the South African double-amputee sprinter, was sentenced on to six years in prison in July 2016 after being found guilty of shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

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In December, the country's Supreme Court of Appeal threw out his earlier conviction of the lesser crime of culpable homicide, for which Pistorius had served one year of a five-year jail sentence.

Here is a snapshot of events that began with the shooting on Valentine's Day 2013.

Oscar Pistorius leaves the High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, after his sentencing proceedings. Photo / AP
Oscar Pistorius leaves the High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, after his sentencing proceedings. Photo / AP

2013

February 14: Police arrest the double-amputee Olympic sprinter for killing Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, who was shot four times at his Pretoria home.

February 15: Pistorius bursts into tears as he is charged, denying murder "in the strongest terms".

February 19: Pistorius claims in an affidavit he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder. He fired through a locked bathroom door in what prosecutors term "premeditated" murder.

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February 22: Pistorius is granted bail.

2014

March 3: The trial opens in Pretoria before an army of journalists from around the world, with the testimony of a neighbour who tells the court she heard "terrible screams" from a woman. Ten days later, Pistorius vomits when a picture of Steenkamp's body is flashed on the court's television screens.

April 7-15: Pistorius takes the stand and begins with a tearful apology to Steenkamp's family. This is followed by five days of often intense cross-examination, marked by bouts of tears and breaks in the session. Pistorius steadfastly denies any intention to kill Steenkamp.

June 30: After a six-week break, a panel of three psychiatrists and a psychologist conclude that Pistorius does not suffer from mental illness.

September 12: Pistorius is found guilty of culpable homicide or manslaughter.

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October 21: Judge Thokozile Masipa sentences Pistorius to a maximum of five years in jail. The athlete is immediately taken to Pretoria prison.

2015

October 20: Pistorius is allowed out of prison after just one year to spend the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.

December 3: The Supreme Court of Appeal convicts Pistorius of murder, saying his testimony was "vacillating and untruthful".

December 8: Pistorius is released on bail pending sentencing, and remains under house arrest.

2016

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January 11: Pistorius makes last-ditch attempt with South Africa's top court to overturn his murder conviction.

March 2: Pistorius loses his final bid to appeal his murder conviction.

July 6: He is sentenced to six years in jail for the murder.

November 3: Prosecutors fought to increase his prison sentence. They urged five judges at South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal to overturn the six-year sentence handed to the double-amputee athlete and give him the prescribed minimum of 15 years.

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