Oscar Pistorius Case News Latest: 'Blade Runner' Plays Football in Prison While His Lawyers Fail to Stop Appeal

Virginia D'Cruz Saturday, March 14, 2015

Oscar Pistorius leaving court in 2014. | REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

Former Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius is due to go back to court after his lawyers failed to stop the prosecution from appealing the manslaughter conviction that was handed down to him by Judge Thokozile Masipa last year.

As for the double amputee who is currently being housed in the hospital wing of Kgosi Mapuru II prison in Pretoria, South Africa, he was recently seen in a video playing football with a Radovan Krejcir, a notorious underworld figure.

Pistorius' upcoming trial and his time in prison have been dominating the discussion around the athlete who earned the nickname "Blade Runner" due to his prosthetics fashioned from carbon fiber which helped him run in various Olympic events.

When the video of him playing football was released, the South African Department of Correctional Services, which oversees the prison, was quick to deny that Pistorius was receiving any special treatment. The officials pointed out that it was normal for all prisoners to exercise for one hour daily and even wear ordinary sports clothes during that period. The department noted that the video was shot and published under suspicious circumstances leading to misinformation being spread about the two prisoners.

As for his trial, Pistorius looks set to return to the Supreme Court which will now hear whether Judge Masipa made a mistake when she convicted him of the lesser charge of manslaughter and dismissed the more serious charge of murder.

However, the trial in the Supreme Court may only begin later in the year and by that time some sources said Pistorius may already be out of jail. This could happen because Judge Masipa in December refused to allow the prosecution to challenge the five-year sentence she handed out to Pistorius even though she allowed them to appeal the manslaughter sentence in the Supreme Court.

The Wall Street Journal said it is likely that Pistorius will serve 10 months in prison and then be transferred to house arrest as the trial could take anywhere up to two years to reach the Supreme Court in South Africa.