Oscar turns 28 behind bars

South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius attends his murder trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on March 11, 2014. Oscar Pistorius's murder trial was set to hear more details on the autopsy of his slain girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, a day after the star sprinter threw up as he listened to a graphic account of the gunshot injuries he inflicted on his lover. AFP PHOTO / POOL / KEVIN SUTHERLAND (Photo credit should read Kevin Sutherland/AFP/Getty Images)

South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius attends his murder trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on March 11, 2014. Oscar Pistorius's murder trial was set to hear more details on the autopsy of his slain girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, a day after the star sprinter threw up as he listened to a graphic account of the gunshot injuries he inflicted on his lover. AFP PHOTO / POOL / KEVIN SUTHERLAND (Photo credit should read Kevin Sutherland/AFP/Getty Images)

Published Nov 22, 2014

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Today is expected to be a normal day in prison for Oscar Pistorius, as he celebrates his first birthday behind bars.

If it were up to Correctional Services, Pistorius’s 28th birthday would go unnoticed. There are simply too many inmates and besides, why would the department make an exception if hundreds of birthdays are celebrated daily in prison, asked a prison official who did not want to be named.

“Why would one person’s birthday be special to us?

“There are 157 000 inmates behind bars. If you divide this by 365, 430 prisoners daily celebrate their birthday,” he said.

Correctional Services spokesman Logan Maistry said birthdays in a correctional centre were just like any other day.

“Visiting hours, for example, are not extended on birthdays. For sentenced offenders, generally, no additional items are allowed in, except perhaps birthday cards.”

On the positive side for Oscar is that his birthday falls on a Saturday - visiting day at prison.

His family, who have been seen at prison visiting him on Saturdays, will probably try to spoil him a little today.

Oscar is very close to his brother Carl and sister Aimee, as well as to his uncle Arnold and aunt Lois.

They attended each of his court days during his seven-month murder trial following the shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The family often helped wipe his tears and Oscar never went for long without a hug from one of them.

Family spokeswoman Anneliese Burgers said the family weren’t going to respond as to how Oscar would spend his birthday.

“They are not going to respond to any personal questions regarding Oscar while he is in jail,” she said.

Perhaps Oscar will this weekend have the opportunity to pay back a favour to a friend and share his cake with Czechoslovakian fugitive Radovan Krejcir.

The two are said to be cell neighbours at the Kgosi Mampuru II Prison and Krejcir shared his cake with fellow inmates, including Oscar, when he turned 46 on November 4.

Today will perhaps be the first and the last birthday Oscar spends behind bars.

- Pretoria News Weekend

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