Oscar Pistorius reportedly injured in prison fight over use of phone

Oscar Pistorius has seemingly kept a low profile since he was handed a lengthy prison sentence for murdering his girlfriend, but the former Paralympic champion was involved in an incident with another inmate earlier this month.

According to the Department of Correctional Services in South Africa, Pistorius was left with a bruise following “an altercation with another inmate” on Dec. 6. A spokesman for the prison where Pistorius is being held told The Guardian that the fight began over use of a public phone.

“Oscar Pistorius sustained a bruise following an alleged incident with another inmate over the use of a public phone in the special care unit where both offenders are detained at Attridgeville correctional centre,” the spokesman, Singabakho Nxumalo, said.

According to The Guardian, unconfirmed local reports claim the fight began when Pistorius angered fellow inmates by having a lengthy conversation on the phone.

Pistorius was originally sentenced to six years in prison in July 2016, but the sentence was increased to 13 years after an appeals court ruled that the original sentence was too lenient. He was originally convicted of culpable homicide, which is essentially the equivalent of manslaughter. The light sentence was the result of a judge believing Pistorius was genuinely remorseful and a good candidate for rehabilitation, but the supreme court of appeals disagreed.

Pistorius claimed that he accidentally mistook his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, for an intruder in February 2013 and shot and killed her. There were a number questions about his character following the tragedy.