Oscar slipped in cell, his brother insists

Oscar Pistorius was taken to hospital on Saturday.

Oscar Pistorius was taken to hospital on Saturday.

Published Aug 8, 2016

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Pretoria - Oscar Pistorius was taken from Kgosi Mampuru prison to Kalafong Hospital and then on to Steve Biko Academic at the weekend.

While social media and some newspapers were suggesting attempted suicide, the official version is he hurt himself when he fell out of bed, and hospital officials described his ailment as stomach problems.

Pistorius’s brother Carl posted on Twitter that all was fine with Oscar.

He said: “Jenna and I have just been to see Oscar and he is doing well given the circumstances. He was in good spirit. I know there are reports saying that he tried to injure himself; these are completely untrue and sensational.

“All other crazy and unreliable news stories are also baseless. He slipped in his cell and injured himself. Nothing serious. Please don't believe the media reports.

"It was great to see him. He sends love to everyone, especially Aimee (his sister).”

It was not clear which Jenna Carl was referring to, as Oscar had an ex-girlfriend called Jenna.

The hospital dash coincided with the start of the Olympic Games in Rio, something many have suggested must have had an emotional effect on Pistorius, who was one of the stars of the last Olympics in London, and a reflection of how far his life has fallen since that glorious time to being a prisoner confined to jail for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The Department of Correctional Services has denied he tried to harm himself, while the Pistorius family are keeping silent on the matter, with family spokeswoman Anneliese Burgess referring enquiries to the department.

Correctional Services was willing to confirm only that Pistorius suffered minor injuries to his wrists and that these were attended to at the prison before he was sent to Kalafong for further treatment.

According to the department, he was later taken back under escort to his prison cell. The department said it would not discuss any prisoner's condition with the media.

A staffer at Kalafong told the Daily News's sister paper, the Pretoria News: “What we have in the hospital record book is a medical illness; he had come in complaining of stomach pain.”

According to media reports on Sunday, razor blades were found in Pistorius’s cell and there were claims that he was bleeding, that his wrists were bandaged by prison staff, and an ambulance was called.

Fans of Pistorius were supportive in online messages, with a woman called Sera saying he must remain strong. Another family from England said their thoughts were with Pistorius, especially at this time, while they were watching the Olympics. “You should have been there,” they posted.

An investigation is under way into items allegedly found in Pistorius's cell, including prescription medicine. During his resentencing, a nurse working in the prison hospital testified that inmates’ medication was strictly monitored through the prison hospital.

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