South African Paralympic and Olympic star Oscar Pistorius is under suicide watch in prison after fears emerged that the traumatized sprinter might try to take his own life following charges he premeditatedly killed his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
Pistorius is being monitored due to police concerns over his mental state after he broke down during his hearing in a Pretoria court, the Daily Mail reports.
The 26-year-old ‘Bladerunner’ who wept in the dock Friday after being charged with shooting dead law graduate Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day is being held at Brooklyn Police Station prison in Pretoria, the paper said.
A source said revealed Pistorius is innocent but he feels as though he has descended into hell, adding the sprinter is absolutely devastated and struggling to deal with his emotions.
The source told a British daily that the Bladerunner has been given a cell to himself at the police station but there are criminals in cells around him and he doesn't belong there, adding there are police concerns over his mental state.
At his hearing earlier on Friday Pistorius remained silent during the 40-minute hearing but his family and management issued a joint statement insisting the alleged murder is disputed in the strongest possible terms.
Photograph: Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
