Pretoria: Lawyers for Reeva Steenkamp's family on Wednesday expressed shock that Oscar Pistorius's defence team revealed details of secret "blood money" payments during a heated courtroom arguments over his sentencing. In a statement on behalf of the slain model's parents, lawyers said they had "honoured" a request from the athlete not to reveal payments of $540 made each month after Pistorius killed her on Valentine's Day 2013.


A weeping Oscar Pistorius is comforted by his brother Carl Pistorius during the sentencing hearing at the Pretoria High Court yesterday. Pic/AFP 

"We were therefore quite surprised yesterday when this fact was disclosed in court without any prior warning to us," the statement said. During a sentencing hearing Tuesday, a defence witness referred to the payments as evidence that Pistorius was remorseful about shooting his 29-year-old girlfriend four times through a bathroom door, believing she was an intruder.