Oscar Pistorius 'threatened with gang rape in prison'
Oscar Pistorius' family claim that they have received a message from blackmailers saying he has been threatened with gang rape in prison.
Family spokesperson Anneliese Burgess said an unknown person had sent them a message saying the disgraced athlete would be beaten up and raped unless a bribe was paid.
South African police are reportedly investigating the threats but no arrests have been made.
Pistorius, dubbed the Blade Runner, was initially convicted of culpable homicide over the shooting murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013, but it has since been converted to murder.
The demands were reportedly sent to Pistorius’ cousin Arnoldus via text message the day after the athlete’s pre-sentencing hearing ended, Metro reports.
The unidentified blackmailer reportedly wanted money in exchange for evidence that the prosecutor had paid a witness who testified against Pistorius in the case.
The 29-year-old faces a minimum 15-year jail term for the Valentine's Day killing in 2013 in a case that has attracted worldwide interest and divided South Africa.
Pistorius claims he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder when he fired four shots through a locked toilet door in his Pretoria home, killing her almost instantly.
During his closing arguments on Wednesday, defence lawyer Barry Roux asked the gold medallist, to walk on his stumps to show the difficulty he faced dealing with the threat of an intruder.
The lower part of his legs were amputated when he was a baby.
Pistorius removed his prosthetics and stood on his stumps for about five minutes in front of the court television camera, wiping tears with a tissue.
"The accused was vulnerable because of his disability," Roux said.
"His failure to conduct a rational thought process does not negate his vulnerability."
The defence says Pistorius did not deliberately kill model and law graduate Steenkamp and was "a broken man", calling for a non-custodial sentence that includes community service.
Shortly after Roux asked Pistorius to walk without his prosthetics, prosecutor Gerrie Nel requested that the judge allow photos to be shown of Steenkamp's bloodied head and torso.
Pistorius is due to be sentenced on July 6.
