Amazon pulls tasteless Oscar Pistorius 'blade gunner' Halloween costume

A Halloween costume based on Oscar Pistorius that was marketed as being "guaranteed to cause controversy" has been pulled from sale by online retailer Amazon.

The costume of the South African athlete, who was convicted of murder in 2016, includes a gun, green running shorts and green and yellow bib – the colours he wore at the Paralympics.

But the outfit also contains fake running blades with "Blade Gunner" emblazoned on the bib, mimicking the disgraced sport star's nickname Blade Runner.

The outfit has been puled by the online giant Amazon after it picked up criticism for selling the product.

The outfit which is on sale for £22.99, is described as a outfit that "is sure to cause some controversy at your next event".

A spokesman for Amazon said the item has now been removed from sale.

"All Marketplace sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who don't will be subject to action including potential removal of their account. The product in question is no longer available," he said.

But the item still remains on sale at the Jokers' Masquerade shop in Luton. which is selling it under the "bad taste" section.

The section which includes a condom outfit and a granny being groped comes with a warning, which reads: "If you are easily offended, our Bad Taste Costumes may not be for you. Here at Jokers' Masquerade we decided to be a little rebellious by compiling this collection of wonderfully inappropriate costumes for those who like to push the boundaries."

Pistorius is currently serving a six-year sentence for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp, who he thought was an intruder.

He fired four shots from a handgun inside his Pretoria home in South Africa through a closed bathroom door where his girlfriend was locked inside.

The outfit isn't the first to be pulled from retailers recently. A costume based on Anne Frank was also taken off the shelves after attracting criticism.