BBC removes Oscar Pistorius documentary trailer following criticism it ignored Reeva Steenkamp

Reeva Steenkamp. Photo / Capacity Relations

The BBC has removed a documentary trailer about Oscar Pistorius, following criticism 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 (Wednesday NZT).

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

Lisa King, director of communications and external relations at British domestic violence charity 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.

Oscar Pistorius in 2011. Photo / John McCombe

"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 in the UK 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 trailer 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 trailer 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."