Pistorius Could Be Victim of Prison Rape, Says Defence Witness

A defence witness in the sentencing of Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has argued that he could be vulnerable to gang rape in prison, and became the second witness to call for him to receive a term of three years' house arrest.

Annette Vergeer, a probation officer, recommended that Pistorius receive a non-custodial sentence with mandatory community service, rather than jail time, echoing the testimony of social worker Joel Maringa who took the stand yesterday.

Vergeer, who has been paid to work for the defence, claimed that the double amputee would be especially vulnerable to attacks in jail because of his disability.

"If they take his legs away, irrespective of what we say will or won't happen, the accused cannot stand up for himself," she said.

She added that she had recently handled the case of an inmate who had been sexually assaulted in prison. "How can we say that he won't be exposed to that?"

Vergeer also suggested that local prisons had "no facility to cater for [Pistorius's] disability", and spoke of the prevalence of AIDS, overcrowding and poor sanitation in South African jails.

The athlete is not a danger to society and putting him in prison for killing his girlfriend would "break him", she told the court. Pistorius, she said, would "only deteriorate" in prison.

In response to these remarks, chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued that prison officials were professionals who knew how to deal with disabled inmates. He claimed that Vergeer's understanding of the South African prison system was limited and outdated.

It emerged today that Pistorius had, until recently, been paying the family of Reeva Steenkamp around R6000 (£338) per month since the shooting of their daughter. Steenkamp had regularly given financial support to her parents Barry and June, from her modelling earnings. The Steenkamps' lawyer Dup de Bruyn said he had negotiated the sum. "They needed it. They needed to live," De Bruyn told reporters, adding that they intend to pay back "every cent".

The court also learned that Pistorius had offered Steenkamp's family a lump sum of £21,274 raised from selling one of his cars, as compensation for the death of his former girlfriend. However, prosecutor Nel said that they had refused the payment, having no desire to accept what he called "blood money".

When court reconvenes on Wednesday morning, Nel will continue to cross-examine Vergeer, before the prosecution begins calling its own witnesses. A sentence is expected by the end of the week.