Oscar Pistorius reportedly negotiating with Reeva Steenkamp's parents to avoid expensive civil lawsuit
- Barry and June Steenkamp may launch a civil action against paralympian
- Possibly considering action for emotional distress and loss of earnings
- Oscar Pistorius, 27, denies murdering girlfriend at their home in Pretoria
- Claims to have shot Reeva Steenkamp, 29, after mistaking her for intruder
- Says he didn't know it was Steenkamp behind bathroom door when he fired
- Athlete's trial due to begin on March 3 - a year after Valentine's shooting
- He has hired an all-star team of forensic and ballistic experts from the US
By JOHN HALL
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South African paralympian Oscar Pistorius is reportedly negotiating with the parents of Reeva Steenkamp – the girlfriend he is charged with killing – in an effort to avoid an expensive civil lawsuit.
Barry and June Steenkamp are believed to be considering a civil action against Pistorius, 27, for emotional distress and loss of earnings, which experts predict could cost the athlete between £110,000 and £165,000 before the end of his criminal trial.
Pistorius denies deliberately killing the 29-year-old model at his home in Pretoria on Valentine’s Day last year, instead claiming he shot through a bathroom door after mistaking her for an intruder.
Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius is reportedly negotiating with the parents of Reeva Steenkamp - the girlfriend he is accused of killing - in order to avoid a civil lawsuit
June Steenkamp and Barry Steenkamp have declined to speak about any potential lawsuit, but it believed they are considering taking action for emotional distress and loss or earnings
The Steenkamp family have declined to speak about any potential civil action against Pistorius, calling it a private matter.
South African media reports suggest Barry and June Steenkamp were being helped financially by their daughter and have since had to rely on payment for foreign media interviews to help with the costs of running a pub in Port Elizabeth.
Now the couple are reportedly considering the civil action against Pistorius to recoup some of the money they feel they have missed out on since their daughter’s untimely death.
They are also said to be considering seeking damages for emotional distress.
Pistorius insists he had no intention of killing Ms Steenkamp when he shot through a bathroom door in the middle of the night almost a year ago.
Happier times: Oscar Pistorius pictured with his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in Johannesburg in 2012
He maintains he had mistaken his girlfriend for an intruder, while prosecutors argue Ms Steenkamp’s death was a case of premeditated murder.
The murder trial is set to begin on March 2, with Pistorius facing a minimum of 25 years in prison if convicted.
According to Barry Bateman, a journalist for South Africa’s Eyewitness News who is also writing a book about the case, the prosecution are planning to argue that Pistorius has long-term problems with anger management.
Mr Bateman told ABC News: ‘What the state is now going to do, they want to show that he’s a violent person... that he's a gun-toting hot head’.
Scene: The home of Olympic amputee sprint star Oscar Pistorius in Pretoria after the shooting
The athlete, who during his career who known as ‘Blade Runner’ due to the prosthetic legs he uses to run after becoming a double amputee at the age of 11, has hired an all-star legal team to defend him at the trial.
Among them are a number of US-based forensic and ballistic experts who will attempt to prove Pistorius did not intend to kill Ms Steenkamp.
Last week it was revealed that a female judge, Thokozile Masipa, has been appointed to preside over the trial.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2543489/Oscar-Pistorius-negotiating-Reeva-Steenkamps-parents-avoid-expensive-civil-lawsuit.html#ixzz2rBkDab5v
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