Tuesday 14 October 2014 16:59, UK
Oscar Pistorius offered the family of Reeva Steenkamp 375,000 Rand (£21,274) as compensation for the death of his former girlfriend, a court in Pretoria has heard.
But the Steenkamps reportedly rejected the payment which they called 'blood money' and promised to hand back other payments Pistorius had given them.
Pistorius' probation officer Annette Vergeer revealed details of the payments on the second day of the athlete's sentencing hearing at the North Gauteng High Court which was watched by his father Henke and Ms Steenkamp's mother June.
Ms Vergeer said Pistorius had been paying 6,000 Rand (£350) per month to the Steenkamps as a form of maintenance, or compensation, though the payments have now stopped.
Suggesting the athlete was genuinely remorseful for the killing, she told the court he sold one of his cars for 375,000 Rand and offered it to the Steenkamps as a lump sum.
Ms Vergeer said: "He sold his last asset, his motor vehicle, and requested the amount be paid into the account of the Steenkamps' lawyers should they wish to accept the amount. I was informed they did not want the money offered by the accused."
Cross examining Ms Vergeer, prosecutor Gerrie Nel said: "Did you know that the deceased's mother went so far as to says she does not want blood money?"
Ms Vergeer replied: "You can place it on record now that the money was in fact rejected and no further legal action would be taken."
She also said Pistorius was 'sorry and heartbroken' at what had happened and that prison 'would not assist him but break him'.
Ms Vergeer, at times fanning herself during her time in the witness box, said Pistorius would 'carry a heavy load for the rest of his life' as a result of the killing and that he did not appear to be such a 'danger to society that he needs to be removed with a prison sentence'.
The athlete had arrived at the court without his usual throng of police and minders while Judge Thokozile Masipa appeared flanked by six armed guards, a move described as highly unusual by legal commentators.
Pistorius, 27, was cleared of murdering his former girlfriend last month but found guilty of culpable homicide - the equivalent of manslaughter in the UK - after the court found there was no basis to conclude he had intended to shoot her, but Judge Masipa admitted he had acted negligently.
He was also found guilty of discharging a firearm in public, an offence relating to him firing a gun in a restaurant in Johannesburg.
The prosecution are pushing for him to serve a prison sentence for the killing, while his defence team submit he should serve no more than house arrest or community service.
The hearing has been adjourned until Wednesday morning.
