The mother of Reeva Steenkamp - who was shot dead by her paralympian boyfriend Oscar Pistorius - said that he terrorised her daughter during the controlling relationship.

June Steenkamp, speaking to the BBC World Service, said that Pistorius treated Reeva like "his arm candy" and tried to dictate what she wore, how she behaved and how she spoke prior to killing her on Valentine's Day in 2013.

Steenkamp described the time when Reeva, 29, called her during their three-month relationship to say that Pistorius was driving dangerously at 161mph with her in the car.

She said: "One day she phoned me and said, 'Mummy, Oscar's driving like a lunatic.' And I said, 'Well, you just put him on the phone.'

"And I said to him, 'if you hurt my baby, I will have you wiped out' - just trying to scare him. And apparently he slowed down straightaway."

Pistorius, a double-amputee Olympic sprinter, was convicted of culpable homicide on 12 September for which he received a maximum prison sentence of five years, with the possibility of serving the rest under correctional supervision after 10 months.

June and Barry Steenkamp, parents of Reeva, during the sentencing hearing of Oscar Pistorius at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria

Steenkamp said about sitting near him in the trial: "That was scary. Because he was the one who killed her, and he hurt her and he terrorised her.

"We all love our children and we adored Reeva. And to sit next to the person who killed her - and she didn't do anything and she had no protection - horrible."

Pistorius, 28, pleaded not guilty to murder and said that he mistook Reeva for an intruder in his bathroom before he shot four times through the door, with three bullets hitting his girlfriend.

Steenkamp, whose book Reeva: A Mother's Story is out in the UK, also said that her only child Reeva kept quiet about their relationship at the beginning as "she wasn't sure if they were compatible" and she told her mother that she could not understand why they were fighting so early on.

She said: "She didn't tell me about Oscar - the first time I saw them together was on the red carpet at a sports award. And I thought: "Now, who is this man?" Because I'd never heard of him."

In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' Show all 20 1 /20 In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' June Steenkamp in court June Steenkamp listens to the testimony of Oscar Pistorius during his ongoing murder trial in Pretoria In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' June Steenkamp in court June Steenkamp looks on during the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius at the high court in Pretoria In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' June Steenkamp in court June Steenkamp (2nd L), Reeva Steenkamp's mother listens to Oscar Pistorius' testimony in the Pretoria High Court in Pretoria In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' June Steenkamp in court June Steenkamp, mother of Reeva, is comforted by unidentified relative after her dead daughter's picture was shown on screen during the trial of Oscar Pistorius at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' June Steenkamp in court June Steenkamp hides her face as she listens to Oscar Pistorius' testimony in the Pretoria High Court In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' June Steenkamp in court June Steenkamp, mother of the late Reeva Steenkamp listens to evidence by a pathologist during the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius in court in Pretoria In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' June Steenkamp in court June Steenkamp attends the trial on Souh African paralympian Oscar Pistorius before his murder trial was postponed at the high court in Pretoria In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' Gina Myers in court Gina Myers, Reeva Steenkamp's best friend, is overcome with emotion as she listens to Oscar Pistorius' testimony in the Pretoria High Court In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' Relatives of Reeva Steenkamp in court Relatives and friends of Reeva Steenkamp, Gina Meyers (C) and her mother Desiree (R) attend a hearing of Oscar Pistorius on the sixth day of his trial In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' June Steenkamp in court Reeva Steenkamp's mother looks on inside the Pretoria High Court In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' June Steenkamp in court June Steenkamp (L), mother of the murdered Reeva Steenkamp, sits in court ahead of the trial of Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' June Steenkamp in court June Steenkamp reacts as she awaits start of the first day of proceedings in court In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' June Steenkamp arrives in court June Steenkamp (C), the mother of Reeva Steenkamp, arrives at North Gauteng High Court for the trial of Oscar Pistorius in Pretoria In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' June Steenkamp arrives in court June Steenkamp (R), the mother of Reeva Steenkamp, arrives at North Gauteng High Court for the trial of Oscar Pistorius in Pretoria In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' Daily News front page day after the shooting Oscar Pistorius was arrested in South Africa in the shooting of Reeva Steenkamp In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' Reeva Steenkamp Reeva Steenkamp in a publicity shot for Tropika Island of Treasure AP In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' Reeva Steenkamp Reeva Steenkamp cooks Getty Images In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' Reeva Steenkamp The model was shot four times by Oscar Pistorius AP In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' Reeva Steenkamp Reeva Steenkamp, girlfriend of Oscar Pistorius GETTY IMAGES In pictures: June Steenkamp's 'court hell' Reeva Steenkamp Reeva Steenkamp who was shot dead on the Valentine's Day 2013

Reeva moved from her parents' home in Port Elizabeth aged 22 to the bigger and more dangerous South African city of Johannesburg to continue a successful career in modelling - which she had done since the age of 14 - after graduating with a law degree and working as a paralegal.

Also a reality television star, Reeva was due to be shown in Tropika Island of Treasure two days after she was shot by Pistorius. Her parents gave SABC 1 permission to air the show.