Blade Gunner fancy dress costume guaranteed to be in poor taste

Mens Adult Oscar Pistorius Blade Runner Athlete Fancy Dress Costume Halloween Controversial Sport Sporting Uniform South Africa Outfit"
Mens Adult Oscar Pistorius Blade Runner Athlete Fancy Dress Costume Halloween Controversial Sport Sporting Uniform South Africa Outfit"

As Halloween 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, Amazon and a joke shop in Berkshire are are selling it as a costume that is guaranteed to cause controversy.

For the avoidance of any doubt it is offensive, the top even has the words “BLADE GUNNER” on it, a pun on the killer’s nickname, Blade Runner. There is also the number 2012, the year the paralympian reached the semi-finals of the 200m sprint in the Olympics.

South Africa's Olympic sprint star Oscar Pistorius and his late model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
South Africa's Olympic sprint star Oscar Pistorius and his late model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp Credit: AFP

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 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 former sportsman 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 include 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”.

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.

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.”

Mens Adult Oscar Pistorius Blade Runner Athlete Fancy Dress Costume Halloween Controversial Sport Sporting Uniform South Africa Outfit"
Mens Adult Oscar Pistorius Blade Runner Athlete Fancy Dress Costume Halloween Controversial Sport Sporting Uniform South Africa Outfit

The range, of which only a toilet roll and cigarette costume can be described without causing offence, contains a further 29 outfits. The Pistorius outfit also does not include the toy gun.

The warning even refers to how Prince Harry got into trouble 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, a Halloween costume of Anne Frank was removed from websites after Holocaust survivors complained that it was in poor taste.

Anne Frank became a symbol of resilience and hope amid the Holocaust after the diary she kept while hiding from the Nazis was posthumously published.

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