These are the pictures we don’t normally see. Violent, graphic pictures of a young, vibrant woman, murdered by the man she loved.
Not pictures of her smiling for the camera, her arm around her killer. Pictures of her lifeless body, scarred by the bullets that killed her.
And while we may not want to look at those the horrific pictures of murdered South African model Reeva Steenkamp, her father, Barry Steenkamp, who begged the court to lift a suppression order so that the world could see his dead daughter’s face, is right. We should.
“Isn’t it time for the world to see what Oscar Pistorius did with Black Talon rounds to Reeva Steenkamp’s head?” Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said in his application for the order to be lifted.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE IMAGES TOO GRAPHIC TO POST. WARNING: EXTREME.
It is time.
It is time for the world to face up to the violence committed against Steenkamp. To consider just how terrified she must have been, cowering in the corner of the toilet cubicle as bullets ripped through the wall.
It's easy to forget the victim when we can't hear from them. When they can't speak for themselves or tell their side of the story. And when their murderer is a stratospherically famous and charismatic sportsman with a sob-story of their own, it can be even harder to remember them.
Oscar Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp. He's been found guilty of her murder, and his efforts this week to avoid further jail time for the crime because of the impact it might have on his own life echo the familiar story of another powerful man seeking to avoid responsibility for his actions.
Steenkamp's life is over. She has no second chances. She was murdered by the person she trusted above all others. The man she shared a life, and a bed, with.
Watch footage of Oscar Pistorius walking on his stumps before the court. Post continues after video...
Pistorius should pay a high price for her violent murder. He should be punished. These pictures reveal the true extent of the damage inflicted by Pistorius. The erase his ability to sanitise the crime and himself. They are confronting and horrific and sad.
They make me angry, and disgusted and very depressed.
It feels almost salacious to look at them. To gawk at the face of a dead woman, a life extinguished too soon and in awful circumstances. It is uncomfortable and unsettling.
But that's the point. Steenkamp's parents pushed for this. They specifically supported the prosecutions application. Because they knew the truth. That sometimes it's easier to accommodate the living then honour the dead.
Pistorius is a superstar. He's fascinating and sympathetic, and he's already avoided significant punishment for his actions once. This is their last chance to make him accountable. To hold him to the pretty basic standard of don't murder your partner, and if you do, prepare to go to jail.
Pistorius' counsel argued that punishment is 'not meant to break the offender', but really, jail time is a reasonable punishment for a murderer.
Theatrics in the courtroom focused on Pistorius' vulnerability. What about Reeva Steenkamp's? Unarmed, alone, trapped and gunned down.
Her life is valuable. Her death was a tragic waste.
I did not want to look at the pictures of her lifeless body. Her bloodied face, the evidence of her violent end.
But I did. Because they are a powerful reminder of the violence committed against her by a man who now seeks leniency where he gave her none.
If you look at these pictures you cannot erase what happened to Reeva Steenkamp. You cannot pretend it wasn't horrific. You cannot put Oscar Pistorius' desires above the severity of his actions.
You cannot minimise his guilt.
So yes, we may not want to look. But we should. With respect, and anger and purpose.
And we should harness that revulsion and anger and frustration and make sure that no matter what, no matter how much power, or privilege or prestige a murderer has, they will never get away with their crimes. They will never be allowed to ameliorate the damage they have done or the lives they have ruined.
And their sentence will reflect the severity of their crime.
Have you looked at the images of Reeva Steenkamp that were released overnight? Why/why not?
Top Comments
I believe good on you for sharing these. One can only hope if Reeva did survive that she would have left him and been an advocate for domestic violence. I know if I were killed by domestic violence and my parents and family were ok with my photos being out there I would want them to be shared! Mainly to raise awareness as to what can happen and that you can get help before it comes to this. I do agree with other comments and sharing these may not lengthen Oscars sentence but if I remember correctly his sentence was lengethened last time after public outrage at the ridiculously soft punishment he recieved.
No I don't need to see the photos. I don't need to see any photos of murder victims. I don't need to see pictures of blood running in the street or any other gory crime scene photos. I don't need to bombard my mind with graphic images to understand violence and the horrendous crimes. In fact bombarding people with more and more graphic images will just desensitise people to these sorts of images.
There has been a lot of very vocal revulsion at the crime by Pistorious and disbelief of the light sentence for that crime. I guess there are people who have been blinded by his "celebrity" and/or sympathetic because of his disability but the characterisation that this is the default position is, I believe, incorrect.