Oscar Pistorius has been injured in a prison brawl, after arguing with another inmate while queuing to use a phone. Prison bosses also say that he faces losing his privileges if he is found to have started it.
Following the death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, the 31-year-old former Paralympian was initially convicted of culpable homicide, but this was later upgraded to murder and he received a six-year jail term last year. His case was then brought back to the South African Supreme Court of appeal, where the sentence was upgraded to 13 years and five months.
Despite this, the former athlete is still only classified as 'low risk', meaning he is allowed access to the jail tuck shop and public phone privileges at the 'relaxed' Atteridgeville Correctional Centre, which is located near his family's home in Pretoria. However, this could change if an investigation finds him at fault, of course.
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The man he reportedly fought is also detained on a special unit 'where inmates with special needs and different sexual orientation are held for their own protection', spokesman Singabakho Nxumalo, from the Department of Correctional Services, told MailOnline.
"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, the men know each other well," Nxumalo said.
"As standard operating procedure regarding cases of alleged assaults, the Department of Correctional Services 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. We want to know that proper security protocols were followed by prison staff.
"If Oscar Pistorius is found to be at fault, he could lose his privileges and be re-classified if he is no longer considered 'low risk'."
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Pistorius pleaded not guilty in his 2014 trial after Steenkamp was shot dead on Valentine's Day in 2013, claiming that he had mistaken her for a burglar. There was then outrage across South Africa when he was sentence to five years for culpable homicide - essentially the same as manslaughter - and he only served 10 months before he was released on house arrest. His case was then changed to murder, before his sentence was then upgraded to a longer term.
it is not yet clear about the nature of Pistorius' current injury, and the fate of his 'low risk' status all relies on who is found at fault from the brawl.
Source: MailOnline
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