A man admits murdering a woman and is then granted bail. I feel there is an injustice when I see images of Oscar Pistorius going out in his car and being free after admitting killing his girlfriend. His girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, will never have the privilege of life again and how must her family feel seeing him free?

Whilst my family and I were eating our Sunday dinner today we debated the issue of Pistorius’ release around the table and I feel strongly that Pistorius should not have been released.

South Africa is a violent society and I understand that every day the South African newspapers report a new murder, and yet another statistic of violent crime in a country that accepts this as normal. I have advised my daughter to never visit South Africa; the images of Pistorius free sends a message that I interpret as “life is cheap”.

My family suggested that Pistorius is out on bail because he is not a risk to others and that he would not flee. This man has admitted that he killed his girlfriend. If I awoke at night and my husband were not in bed beside me he would be the first thing I would look for.

It doesn’t ring true that Pistorius would shoot someone in the bathroom because he was scared. You would not fire a gun at the bathroom if your partner who usually sleeps beside you is not in the room. You would assume that your partner has gone to the toilet. Pistorius’ claims of being vulnerable because of his disability prove that he is a risk to the public as he shoots first because of his disability. Why is he not a risk now when the symptoms leading to him shooting his girlfriend have not changed.