Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius attacked in prison
Former Paralympic champion and convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius has been attacked in prison over the use of a public phone.
The double amputee – known as the “Blade Runner” – is currently serving a 13-year jail term for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Pistorius was left with a bruise after “an altercation with another inmate over the use of a public phone” on December 6, according to the department of Correctional Services.
Local media report that fellow prisoners were angered by Pistorius’s lengthy telephone conversation, which led to a brawl.
“Oscar Pistorius sustained a bruise following an alleged incident with another inmate over the use of a public phone in the special care unit where both offenders are detained at Attridgeville Correctional Centre,” spokesman Singabakho Nxumalo said.
Nxumalo said an official investigation has been launched into the incident.
“As standard operating procedure regarding cases of alleged assaults, DCS has launched an internal investigation into the matter to establish the facts and to ensure that appropriate action is taken as incidents of assault are not allowed,” he said.
In November 2016, Pistorius was moved to a prison north of the capital Pretoria, which caters for inmates with physical disabilities.
Last month, the Supreme Court of Appeal more than doubled his original sentence of six years after the state argued that it was unduly lenient.
Pistorius, 31, was originally convicted of culpable homicide over the 2013 killing — the equivalent of manslaughter — but the appeal court upgraded his conviction to murder