Oscar Won’t Take Back ‘Blood Money

*Oscar Pistorius says Barry and June Steenkamp can keep the ‘blood money’ he has been paying them

THE parents of Reeva Steenkamp will not pursue a civil claim against their daughter’s killer Oscar Pistorius and will pay back every cent of the “blood money” they have received from him in the past 19 months. But Pistorius does not want the cash back and his lawyers moved yesterday to put it on the record that the monies were paid “unconditionally”.

The war of words over the secret so-called “blood money” came about after it was revealed during Pistorius’ sentence hearing that he had been paying the parents of his slain lover 6000 Rand or $623 a month for the past 19 months.
Barry and June Steenkamp released a statement yesterday through their lawyers shortly before the third day of Pistorius’ sentence hearing got underway and later Pistorius’ lawyer countered in court.
Barry Roux, Pistorius’ defence lawyer, said: “Statements will be made later that the money was paid unconditionally and it is still the instruction that he doesn’t want it back. It is for the parents to decide. There was no condition attached.”
He said that after Pistorius was informed the Steenkamps did not want a further offer of 375,000 Rand or $39,000, which he had proposed to pay them from the proceeds of his car sale, Pistorius had offered to place that money in a trust account should the parents reconsider at a later stage.
Mr Roux said the trust account details were provided but subsequently the Pistorius camp was informed the parents did not want the money and it was not paid.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said: “She (Mrs Steenkamp) doesn’t want bloody money.”
In their statement, Barry and June Steenkamp said that the monthly payments they were receiving from Pistorius had been kept secret at his request.
They were therefore “quite surprised” when the details emerged in court that Pistorius had been paying them since March last year, only weeks after he shot Ms Steenkamp dead.
Of the monthly payments, Mr Nel said: “I can put on record that this money will be paid back to the accused in full, every cent.”
The payments stopped last month.