Inside the fortress mansion that killer Paralympian Oscar Pistorius will call home as he's due for release in days
2 January 2024, 12:32 | Updated: 4 January 2024, 15:29
Oscar Pistorius is days away from leaving his jail cell for a mansion-turned-fortress amid fears of reprisals for his killing of Reeva Steenkamp.
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The disgraced Paralympian is due to be released on Friday, after spending eight and a half years in jail.
The 37-year-old double amputee shot Steenkamp dead at their home in Pretoria on Valentine's Day in 2013.
He will leave jail, having been granted parole in November, to live with his uncle Arnold at his £2m mansion in the Waterkloof suburb of the city.
The property millionaire has brought in armed guards and attack dogs, while the three-storey, 12-bedroom home has been surrounded by razor wire and electric fences.
Pistorius will stay at a cottage on the estate after leaving Atteridgeville Correctional Centre, where he has been held in an adapted cell.
There, the athlete - who took gold and silver at the London 2012 Paralympics - has been protected by a small group of fellow prisoners.
But it is feared he will now be a target for underworld figures and people looking to avenge Steenkamp's death.
The model's father Barry died last September, and a close friend of his said that would make Pistorius even more of a target.
They told The Sun: "It's common knowledge that Oscar was a target big-time for killing Reeva even before he went into prison, and those enemies have not gone away.
"Reeva's dad was in horse racing for over 60 years as a jockey and a trainer. Over that period you make a lot of friends, and not all of them in this tough game are nice people.
"Since Reeva was murdered, all Barry wanted was for Pistorius to admit it.
"Then he and his wife June could have had closure and come to terms with it. All he wanted was to hear the truth.
"But Oscar would not give him the truth while he was protected behind bars. But now that he is coming back out into the real world, he could be 'persuaded' to tell the truth."
Pistorius shot Steenkamp, 29, through a bathroom door four times with a pistol. She died instantly.
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The case made headlines around the world.
He claimed he believed a burglar had broken in to his home. While he was cleared of murder, he was convicted of manslaughter.
But an appeal by prosecutors saw the conviction upgraded to murder and he got an extra 13 years in jail on top of the time he already served.
