Oscar Pistorius hurt in prison brawl 'for taking too long on phone'

Oscar Pistorius pictured flanked by police during a court hearing
Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
Benedict Moore-Bridger12 December 2017

Oscar Pistorius was attacked and hurt in a prison brawl, South African authorities said today.

The shamed Olympic and Paralympic sprinter sustained “minor injuries” during a fight with another inmate.

He is believed to have been set upon following a dispute about his lengthy telephone calls.

Sources said fellow inmates at Atteridgeville Correctional Centre queuing to use the phone became incensed when the 31-year-old refused to hang up.

Singabakho Nxumalo, spokesman for the Department of Correctional Services said: “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.

“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.”

Pistorius is believed to have hurt his back and ribs during the attack last Wednesday.

He is serving a 13-year sentence for murdering his girlfriend‚ Reeva Steenkamp by shooting her at his home in the early hours of Valentine’s Day in 2013.

Oscar Pistorius Trial - In pictures

1/31

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Sign up you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy notice .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT