Oscar Pistorius is finally behind bars, two years after shooting through a bathroom door and killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
But apparently, his punishment isn't as severe as might be expected.
Eyewitness News in South Africa is reporting that Pistorius is being treated "like royalty" at Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria, according to an official at the prison speaking on the condition of anonymity.
"He says management is concerned that because of his high-profile status, if anything does happen to him it could be hugely embarrassing for the department," Eyewitness News reports.
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He continued: "The official says Pistorius does not talk a lot and tends to prefer spending time on his own."
The Daily Mail expanded on the official's comments, saying that the prison wants to make sure that the double-amputee Olympic sprinter avoids any situation in which he could be assaulted.
It's another strange twist in the 2-year-old tragic death of Steenkamp in the apartment she shared with Pistorius.
Judge Thokozile Masipa received death threats after refusing to convict Pistorius of murder, and now Kgosi Mampuru II prison officials are afraid of a public relations backlash if anything happens to Pistorius.
He has served four months of his five-year sentence on a culpable homicide verdict that Masipa declared and was expected to have to serve only 10 months in jail before being allowed to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest - one-sixth of his total sentence time.
But in December, Masipa granted prosecutor Gerrie Nel an appeal that he will make to the Supreme Court of Appeals in South Africa to get the murder conviction he was denied in the first trial. A date has not yet been set for the new trial.
Some media reports have indicated that a murder conviction would put Pistorius behind bars for 15 years, but other reports say that no limit exists if he does get a murder conviction.
It is also unclear whether Pistorius would be available for house arrest after 30 months, which would be one-sixth of the 15-year conviction. If that is the case, Pistorius would have to spend just more than two more years in prison.
Do you think Kgosi Mampuru II prison officials should treat Oscar Pistorius any differently because of his celebrity status or his physical disability? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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