Pistorius: Reeva Steenkamp's Parents Speak Out

The parents of Reeva Steenkamp, the model shot dead by her boyfriend Oscar Pistorius, have spoken of their need for answers as he prepares to return to court.

Ms Steenkamp, 29, was shot through the door of Pistorius' bathroom at his home in a secure compound in Pretoria, South Africa.

The 26-year-old Paralympic gold medallist is facing a murder charge but claims he shot her after mistaking her for an intruder.

Pistorius, who is expected to stand trial later this year, is due to appear in court in Pretoria today.

In a television documentary, Ms Steenkamp's mother said: "There is only one person who knows what happened."

June Steenkamp also speaks of the guilt she and her husband feel after their daughter's death.

"Why? Why did he shoot her? I want to know why he shot her," Mrs Steenkamp says. "She must have been so afraid in the toilet.

"One bullet had already hit her, so she must have been in severe pain.

"We feel bad that we couldn't protect her. Her whole life we protected her. From the day she was born we protected her, but this we could not protect her from. Why couldn't we protect her from this?"

The Channel 5 programme, Why Did Oscar Pistorius Kill Our Daughter?, also showed some of Ms Steenkamp's personal photographs, letters and drawings for the first time.

One of her childhood paintings shows a gunman, an angel and a stairway to heaven.

"If you look at it, it's a premonition of what happened to her," Mrs Steenkamp says.

"She's petrified. She's afraid. She's showing horror and she's afraid. She's terrified. Her hands are over her mouth, and she's terrified."

The film also showed the moment friends and family came together to scatter Ms Steenkamp's ashes at Nelson Mandela Bay.

Her father, Barry Steenkamp, said: "Her grandfather's ashes were spread out into the sea. We all think the sea would be a wonderful place to spread your ashes because (your body) would go all over the place."

Pistorius is currently on bail after a judge changed his conditions in March, allowing him to travel abroad provided he hands over an itinerary beforehand.

The athlete's uncle, Arnold Pistorius, said his family "believe in him, love him and will support him every step of the way in what lies ahead".

He also referred to pictures of the bloody bathroom in the double amputee's home, saying the family had been "shaken by the graphic images".

He added: "We continue to have great faith in the South African legal justice system and believe that Oscar's account of what happened on that terrible night in February will be borne out by the evidence that the defence team will lead in court."