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BBC removes Oscar Pistorius documentary trailer following outcry that it ignored Reeva Steenkamp

Reeva Steenkamp was killed on Valentine's Day 2013 - Gallo Images / Rex Features
Reeva Steenkamp was killed on Valentine's Day 2013 - Gallo Images / Rex Features

The BBC has removed a documentary trailer about Oscar Pistorius, following outcry that it ignored his victim Reeva Steenkamp.

A trailer for a documentary about the Paralympian’s life and court case was pulled from social media on Tuesday afternoon.

Oscar Pistorius was jailed for 15 years after being found guiltyfor shooting girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead on Valentine's Day 2013.

Lisa King, director of communications and external relations at Refuge said: “It is incredibly disappointing to read reports that the memory of Reeva Steenkamp appears to have been glossed over, and the trial of her killer centred in this way.

“Two women every week in England and Wales are killed by a current or former partner, and their names and their lives must never be forgotten. Neither must Reeva Steenkamp's.”

The BBC documentary The Trials of Oscar Pistorius will be available on iPlayer from November 7.

Lucy Hadley, Campaign and Policy manager at Women's Aid said: “It was shocking to watch the trailer of the BBC documentary of Oscar Pistorius, and hear no mention of Reeva Steenkamp's name at all.

“The trailer also suggests that there is a debate about whether he is guilty or not. The same excuses which surrounded him after the murder are being resuscitated, as if they are more important than the fact that Reeva is dead.

“The trailer also suggests that the tragedy is the loss of a man's career. This is wrong. The real tragedy is that a woman's life was ended. We urgently need a culture which values women’s lives.”

A statement from the BBC said: “We have removed the trail for The Trials of Oscar Pistorius that was posted on social media earlier today.

“We regret that the original trail did not refer to Reeva Steenkamp directly.

“We are aware of the upset it has caused, which was never the intention. We have removed the trail and it will be replaced by something more representative of the series, which examines in detail a number of complex issues connected to her murder.”