Oscar Pistorius 'Sobbed Himself to Sleep' on First Night in South African Prison

Oscar Pistorius is reportedly in shock after his sentencing and sobbed himself to sleep on his first night at Pretoria's Kgosi Mampuru II prison, South African press is reporting.

Pistorius has been under strict supervision by nurses and guards ever since arriving in the prison's hospital wing on Tuesday (21 October), in case of an emergency, reported South Africa's Times Daily.

He was briefly introduced to the nine other hospital-wing inmates upon arriving at his cell.

An unnamed prison source is reported to have told the newspaper: "Shortly after the door closed you could hear the tears. He was torn up. Broken. The crying went on and on. We think he stopped when he fell asleep. It was really bad."

Another source who saw Pistorius yesterday when he met with correctional services officials confirmed the paralympian's shocked state saying: "It gets everyone the first time, but he has the jitters bad. He's really tense and stressed. The fact that he can't do what he wants when he wants, and eat what he wants, is hitting him hard. It's clear his imprisonment has not hit home yet. He's under observation, with officials monitoring everything he does.''

The president of the South African Prisoners' Organisation for Human Rights, Golden Miles Bhudu added on saying: "It's no picnic. Once the doors shut that's it. Other than a little grill bar window next to the cell door, through which to talk, there's no other way of communicating at night. When you talk from your cell you have to scream. For people to have heard him crying, it would have been very loud."

Pistorius was sentenced to five years imprisonment this week on manslaughter charges for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Sources have said since, that there is a possibility that he could be released in 10 months and placed on house arrest.

His prison routine involves a wake up call at 5:30am, breakfast at 7am, lunch at noon and dinner at 4pm, all in the confinement of his prison cell.

Zebilon Monama, the prison's area commissioner has described Pistorius as being "deurmekaar' –which is an African expression used to refer to someone as being bewildered.

Meanwhile, South Africa's sports minister, Fikile Mbalula said on Wednesday (22 October), "The courts have spoken and we respect the decisions of the court. I hear people saying that Pistorius will come back. To me that was the end of the road."