Oscar Pistorius due to meet Reeva Steenkamp's parents after only serving half his sentence

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Ex-paralympic athlete, Oscar Pistorius - who was jailed in 2015 for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp - is due to meet her parents.

As reported by BBC News, this is part of a process that could lead to the 35-year-old's release on parole — after only serving half of his 13 years and five months sentence.

Pistorius, whose legs were amputated below the knee when he was 11-months-old, shot the model dead in 2013. He fired four times through a locked toilet door, claiming that he had mistaken his girlfriend for a burglar at his Pretoria home.

In a highly publicised 2014 trial, he was handed a five-year term for manslaughter. However, on appeal in 2015, he was found guilty of murder, and his sentence was increased to 13 years and five months.

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Gallo Images / Alamy

The Paralympic gold medallist has recently been transferred to a different prison, closer to Steenkamp's parents, June and Barry, ahead of their meeting.

Pistorius was previously jailed in the capital of Pretoria, and has now been moved to a correctional facility in the port city of Gqeberha, which was formerly known as Port Elizabeth.

If he is to secure his release, he must participate in what South African authorities have described as "restorative justice". This involves offenders speaking to their victims and their relatives in order to convey remorse, and acknowledge the harm they have caused.

When the possibility of Pistorius' parole became apparent, the Steenkamps' lawyer, Tania Koen, spoke to broadcaster SABC and confirmed that the grieving parents "would like to participate in the victim-offender dialogue".

"June has always said that she has forgiven Oscar, however that doesn't mean that he mustn't pay for what he has done... Barry battles with that a bit, but that is something he will have to voice at the appropriate time," Koen continued. "The wound, even though so much time has passed, is still very raw."

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Credit: REUTERS / Alamy

Earlier this month, Koen told the Daily Mirror that June and Barry had received a "distressing" letter from Pistorius, which was "like ripping a band-aid off a wound."

As part of the parole process, prisoners must "acknowledge and take responsibility for their actions," which led to the 35-year-old sending off the letter, per the lawyer.

"I cannot divulge the contents of that letter," she added. "It was quite emotionally distressing for them. They did not know it was coming and it was sent to me by his attorney."

Law enforcement has not yet revealed when the meeting between the two parties will take place, saying: "the timeframe... will be guided by the level of preparedness by all participants".

Feature image credit: REUTERS / Alamy