UK tabloid leads with gratuitous Reeva pic

Cape Town - UK tabloid The Sun has placed a full page photo of slain model Reeva Steenkamp in a skimpy bikini on their latest cover, resulting in an outcry on social media.

Paralymypic athlete Oscar Pistorius allegedly shot and killed Steenkamp, his girlfriend, in the early hours of Thursday at his home in Silver Woods, Pretoria.

The photo featured on The Sun's front page is of the 30-year-old model in a pink bikini which was taken for her cover of men's magazine FHM in December 2011.

The behind-the-scenes video of the photo shoot was taken off of Youtube on Thursday morning.

The Sun's front page uses the phrases "blade runner", "valentine's horror" and the words "shots" and "screams", but her name is not mentioned, even though her photo takes up more than half of the cover.

Outrage

Many users took to Twitter to express disgust at The Sun's front page under the collective hashtag #HerNameWasReevaSteenkamp.

UK politician and former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott took to Twitter to air his views on the tabloid's cover, retweeting the trending hashtag.

He posted: 

@rupertmurdoch At least have the decency to change that front page for The Sun's last edition #HerNameWasReevaSteenkamp

— John Prescott (@johnprescott) February 15, 2013

Twitter user George Potter, replied to Prescott's request for complaints to The Sun, revealing the tabloid's reason for using the image.

If you want to complain to The Sun's news desk about their front page the number is 0207 782 4104 #HerNameWasReevaSteenkamp

— John Prescott (@johnprescott) February 15, 2013

@johnprescott Their excuse is "she was a model so it's just a photo of her working". Words fail me. #HerNameWasReevaSteenkamp

— George Potter (@georgewpotter) February 15, 2013

Prescott also tweeted that the tabloid reportedly paid £35 000 for the use of the image on their front page.

Twitter user Ellie Cumbo accused the newspaper of using a dead woman as "masturbation fodder", tweeting:

The Sun's family values: a woman is never too dead to be masturbation fodder. A new low, and i'm not linking. #HerNameWasReevaSteenkamp

— Ellie Cumbo (@EllieCumbo) February 14, 2013

The Sun wasn't the only tabloid to splash a half-naked photo of Reeva on their cover. The Daily Star used a different picture of the bikini-clad model next to the headline "Blade Runner shoots lover dead".