DISGRACED former Olympian Oscar Pistorius could face chilling revenge attacks from gangsters after he's released from prison.
The 37-year-old has hopes of becoming a preacher when he's free in January but Johannesburg police recently received information that the city’s underworld were out for revenge over the murder of Reeva Steenkamp.
The police said: "We have received information that there are people who say he deserved to pay for killing a young woman.
"South Africa cannot afford to have any more violence connected to Pistorius and police will work very hard to ensure his safety."
Pistorius has spent most days scared for his life since he shot his then girlfriend through a bathroom door back in 2013.
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While out on bail almost a decade ago he was reportedly paranoid about paid assassins killing him and would stay far away from any windows out of pure fear.
Stories also came out saying that when he was first in prison he had real concerns over people poisoning his food because of gangsters orders.
A source told the Mail Online: "He began eating beans straight from a can so he could be sure that the food had not been got at and poisoned."
Reports of revenge first circulated during the killers original trial where two men, known to be part of the criminal underworld in South Africa, were spotted in the public gallery.
Hardmen Marc Batchelor and Mikey Schultz were seen glaring at Pistorius as he defended himself in court.
Batchelor was threatened by Pistorius, who said he would "break his legs" over a dispute over a woman.
The tough guy was a friend of Reeva's and wanted a life sentence for the athlete.
He was known to have underworld friends, including one who had killed a businessman and others who worked as hired assassins.
Luckily for Pistorius, former professional footballer Batchelor was shot dead in a brutal kill related to gangs in Johannesburg and professional fighter Schultz is now a convicted killer for his role in a contracted murder.
Back in 2016, it was reported that South African police were investigating messages from a man sent to Pistorius’ cousin Arndoldus via messaging app WhatsApp.
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Spokeswoman for the Pistorius family, Anneliese Burgess, said the man became abusive and threatened violence against Pistorius in jail when the family didn't agree to pay any money in an extortion attempt.
She said: "These included threats that he would arrange for Oscar to be beaten up and gang raped in prison."
Police confirmed that they were looking at the threats made to the family but no arrests were made.
Arnoldus Pistorius also said that he and other cousins had been getting death threats, and the family has stepped up security at their homes.
The shamed star took it upon himself to get protection in prison and show other inmates he was a supposed "tough guy".
He was known to get in fights and befriended a very dangerous Czech gangster to feel safer.
Pistorius took up smoking and now does so religiously according to sources to play up to his tough guy persona in the eyes of other convicts.
But Pistorius will never be allowed to touch a firearm again, and sources say he is determined to make a new life dedicated to God and helping others.
During his time in prison the killer became a spiritual guide for his fellow criminals and encouraged them to pick up the bible and worship Jesus.
His family are religious especially his uncle who he'll now be living with in a £10m mansion, according to Sky News.
His family have high hopes that Pistorius will keep up his devote lifestyle and keep him on the right path that could lead him to become a preacher.
The former sprinter will be released from his South African prison after serving over half of his sentence set for 13 years and five months.
A statement from the court today described Pistorius as a "first time offender with a positive support system", announcing the parole board's decision to release him.
Pistorius shot dead model Reeva, 29, with four bullets fired through the locked door of the bathroom in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013.
He shot her in the head, hip and arm and later claimed in court that it was only when he broke the bathroom door down that he realised she was in there.
He has always claimed the shooting was a mistake, saying he thought she was an intruder, and the highly publicised case attracted global attention.
After a round of appeals and challenges in court, Pistorius - dubbed the "Blade Runner" because of his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs - was jailed in 2016.
Reeva's mother June told the court in today's hearing in a victim impact statement: "I have no doubt that Barry died of a broken heart.
"No parent should have to bury a child and most certainly not in the circumstances that prevailed in the demise of Reeva.
"I do not believe Oscar’s version that he thought the person in the toilet was a burglar. In fact, I do not know anybody who does."
In 2012, Pistorius became the first double amputee to compete at the Olympics, and in the same year won two gold medals at the Paralympics taking his tally to seven golds overall.
A celebrity around the world, his relationship with model and law graduate Reeva attracted attention from the masses.
When he murdered her on Valentine’s Day 2013 - the world was left shocked.
In 2014 he was charged with culpable homicide, South Africa's equivalent of manslaughter, and began a five-year jail sentence after saying he thought the person behind the door was an intruder.
In 2015, he was released on house arrest and stayed at his uncle's home until the Supreme Court overturned the ruling and found him guilty of murder.
Pistorius was then sent back to jail for a sentence of six years - which critics slammed as “shockingly lenient”.
The sentence was upped to 13 years and five months and Pistorius made several attempted bids for parole during his time in prison, until today, when a release date was set for January 5.
