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Reeva Steenkamp ’s mother has outlined her account on how and why Oscar Pistorius killed her daughter on Valentine's Day 2013.
The Paralympian maintained that he thought that his late girlfriend was an intruder in his house, firing through his locked bathroom door.
“Oscar's story I don't believe,” June Steenkamp wrote in her new book, Reeva: A Mother’s Story .
“Not one of his actions suggests he felt protective towards her. They had a fight, a horrible argument, and she fled to the bathroom with her mobile and locked the door.
“I think he may have shot once and then he had to go on and kill her because she would have been able to tell the world what really happened, what he is really like.”
She asserted that “there is no doubt in our minds” that her daughter had decided to leave Pistorius the night of her death.
“I believe their relationship was coming to an end,” she wrote. “In her heart of hearts she didn't think it was making either of them happy.”
Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in picturesShow all 33 1 /33Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Oscar Pistorius Oscar Pistorius reacts to the verdict in his murder trial at the High Court in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Oscar Pistorius Oscar Pistorius listens to the verdict in his trial at the high court in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Reeva Steenkamp's relatives Family members of Reeva Steenkamp react as they listen to the verdict of Oscar Pistorius at the high court in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Aimee Pistorius Aimee Pistorius (C) sister of Oscar Pistorius sits during judgement in his murder trial in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures State prosecutor Gerrie Nel State prosecutor, Gerrie Nel listens in court in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Oscar Pistorius Oscar Pistorius chats to his uncle Arnold ahead of the verdict in the trial of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at the high court in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Barry Steenkamp Father of the late Reeva Steenkamp, Barry Steenkamp, sits in court at the Oscar Pistorius trial in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Pistorius's defense lawyer Barry Roux Oscar Pistorius' Chief defence Barry Roux arrives at the High Court in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Oscar Pistorius Oscar Pistorius arrives at the High Court in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures June Steenkamp June, mother of the late Reeva Steenkamp enters the Pretoria High Court
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Oscar Pistorius Oscar Pistorius arrives to North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. Judge Thokosile Masipa has ruled out murder charges, but has left it to announce whether Oscar Pistorius is guilty of culpable homicide, as the six month trial of the Olympic double-amputee sprinter comes to an end
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Oscar Pistorius Oscar Pistorius cries as the judge reads out the verdict during his murder trial
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Oscar Pistorius Oscar Pistorius cries in the dock during the verdict in his murder trial in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Oscar Pistorius Oscar Pistorius reacts in the dock during the verdict in his murder trial in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Aimee Pistorius Aimee Pistorius, the sister of Oscar Pistorius, leaves North Gauteng High Court for a lunch break in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Lois and Arnold Pistorius Lois Pistorius and Arnold Pistorius, the aunt and uncle of Oscar Pistorius, leave North Gauteng High Court during the lunch break as Judge Thokozile Masipa considers her verdict in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Carl Pistorius Carl Pistorius, brother of Oscar Pistorius, sits in a wheel chair during Oscar Pistorius' judgement at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Protesters People protest outside the North Gauteng High court, against the abuse and murder of women, as South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius attended the verdict in his murder trail in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Judge Thokozile Masipa Judge Thokozile Masipa reads her verdict during the Oscar Pistorius trial in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Oscar Pistorius Oscar Pistorius sits in the dock during the verdict in his murder trial in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Oscar Pistorius Oscar Pistorius stands in the dock during the verdict in his murder trial in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Pistorius's defense lawyer Barry Roux Oscar Pistorius's defense lawyer Barry Roux arrives at court in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Henke Pistorius Henke Pistorius the father of Oscar Pistorius arrives at High Court for the verdict in his son's murder trial in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Carl Pistorious Carl Pistorious, brother of Oscar Pistorious, arrives to hear the verdict of his brothers murder trial in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures June and Barry Steenkamp Reeva Steenkamp's mother and father, Barry Steenkamp (2-L) and June Steenkamp (2-R), arrive for the verdict in Oscar Pistorious murder trial in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Oscar Pistorius supporter A woman holds up a banner in support of Oscar Pistorius as he arrives at court in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Oscar Pistorius Oscar Pistorius arrives at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Oscar Pistorius Oscar Pistorius arrives at the High Court in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Barry Steenkamp Barry Steenkamp, father of Reeva Steenkamp, arrives to hear the verdict in the trial of Oscar Pistorius at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures June Steenkamp June Steenkamp, mother of dead model, Reeva Steenkamp, waits for Oscar Pistorius during the verdict in his murder trial in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Oscar Pistorius Oscar Pistorius arrives for the verdict in his murder trial at the high court in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Oscar Pistorius Oscar Pistorius arrives for the verdict in his murder trial at the high court in Pretoria
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Oscar Pistorius trial: The verdict in pictures Oscar Pistorius Oscar Pistorius arrives at the Pretoria High Court
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Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide after fatally shooting Steenkamp. In October, he was sentenced to five years in prison , although legal experts predict that he could only serve 10 months behind bars and will spend the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
Following the sentencing, Steenkamp said that the family was satisfied with the court's decision and that trial’s result had provided her with some sort of “closure”.
She later added that she would never think the death of her daughter was a mistake and now claims that she “felt let down by the justice system”.
In an already-released extract from the book , June Steenkamp alleges that Pistorius’ was always destined to kill someone.
“It was Reeva's bad luck that she met him, because sooner or later he would have killed someone,” she asserted. “I do believe that.”
“In our worst imaginings, we picture how scared she must have been to retreat behind that door, and lock it, with no one to protect her. One bullet blew the brains out of her skull.”
She has previously said that she forgives Pistorius for his crime, although she cannot “forget”.
“I have forgiven him,” she commented. “I have to - that's my religion. But I can't forget what he has done. I hate what he has done to my child.”
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