Oscar Pistorius injured in prison fight after arguing with another inmate while queuing to use a phone
SHAMED Paralympic champion and convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius has been injured in a prison brawl over the use of a public phone.
The double amputee — who is serving a 13-year jail term for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp — 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.
A prison spokesman said: “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."
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,” Nxumalo added.
Pistorius was in November 2016 moved to the 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.
Local media reported that fellow prisoners were angered by the Pistorius’s lengthy telephone conversation, leading to a fight.
“It is alleged that he was involved in an altercation with another inmate over the use of a public phone in the special care unit” where both offenders are detained at the Atteridgeville Correctional Centre,” a spokesman from the department of correctional services added.
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.
Pistorius, whose lower legs were amputated because of a congenital defect, soared to international fame after becoming the first double amputee to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games.
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In 2015 in a case that gripped the world, Pistorius was found guilty of the Valentine’s Day murder of his girlfriend, the model Reeva Steenkamp.
The South African sprinter, known as the “Blade Runner” for his prosthetics, maintains he believed Steenkamp was an intruder when he shot her through the bathroom door.
He is serving a 13-year sentence.
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