Causing offence this Hallowe’en, Pistorius ‘Blade Gunner’ outfit
‘Many more fancy dress ideas are waiting here to ensure you stand out from the crowd’
AS HALLOWE’EN fancy dress costumes go, an outfit of Oscar Pistorius wearing his trademark running blades, green shorts, yellow top and holding a gun is probably one of the most tasteless yet.
However, the online retailer Amazon and a joke shop in Berkshire are selling the costume, despite the fact it is likely to cause controversy.
The costume’s top even has the words “BLADE GUNNER” written on it, a pun on the killer’s nickname, Blade Runner.
Pistorius reached the semi-finals of the 200m sprint in the 2012 Olympics. The following year, on Valentine’s Day, the double amputee shot dead his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, at his home in Pretoria.
He fired four shots from a handgun through a closed bathroom door where Steenkamp, a model and law graduate, was locked inside.
Pistorius maintained that he had thought he was shooting an intruder, and denied being jealous or aggressive during his relationship with his 29-year-old girlfriend.
The 30-year-old was jailed for murder and is serving a six-year sentence. His worldwide fame as both a sportsman and killer appears to have led to the creation of the costume.
Alongside a picture of a male model wearing the costume, sunglasses and holding a toy weapon, the Amazon website says: “This Paralympic runner costume is sure to cause some controversy at your next event.” The outfit, which costs £26.10 and does not in- clude the gun, is described as featuring the South African motif, as well as “boot covers that come all the way up to your knees to create the image you have false legs”.
Meanwhile, the Jokers’ Masquerade shop in Luton gives a warning to anyone considering buying the £23 outfit from its range of bad taste adult wear.
“If you are easily offended our Bad Taste Costumes may not be for you,” the website says. “In a world where political correctness has gone mad, we decided to be a little rebellious by compiling this collection of wonderfully inappropriate costumes specifically for those who like to push the boundaries.”
The range, of which only a costume of a toilet roll and a cigarette costume can be described without causing offence, contains a further 29 outfits.
The warning even refers to how Prince Harry was criticised in 2005 when he dressed in a Nazi outfit with a swastika armband for a party, adding: “These costumes are sure to create a similar shock and awe response from your fellow party goers. “Dictators, terrorists, disgraced celebrities, body parts, plus many more bad taste fancy dress ideas are waiting here to ensure you stand out from the crowd and raise a few eyebrows.”
The shop adds: “All we ask is please remember your audience and ensure Granny is out of the room before donning one of these scandalous bad taste costumes.”
Earlier this week, a Hallowe’en costume of Anne Frank was removed from websites after Holocaust survivors complained that it was in poor taste.