A Paddy Power advert promoting a ‘money back if he walks’ offer for bets on the Oscar Pistorius murder trial has prompted numerous complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority, and an online petition for it to be pulled.

The company had already caused outrage earlier this week by offering odds on the outcome of the premeditated murder trial - 7/4 for a guilty verdict and 2/5 for not guilty - with many Twitter users branding the gimmick ‘vile’ and ‘disgusting’.

Now, the firm has gone even further, by offering losing bets a refund if the 27-year-old is found not guilty of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 29, last year.

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They’ve even put together an advert headlined ‘It’s oscar time’ to promote the offer. Oddly tied in with the Oscars, it features an Academy Award with the head of the Olympic and Paralympic athlete and the sword removed to make it look like the hands have been bound.

Shape Created with Sketch. Oscar Pistorius: Career in pictures Show all 34 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Oscar Pistorius: Career in pictures 1/34 Oscar Pistorius in Greece Oscar Pistorius wins the 200m T44 for Men during the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, 2004 2/34 Oscar Pistorius in Greece Oscar Pistorius at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, 2004 3/34 Oscar Pistorius in Manchester Oscar Pistorius celebrates winning his second gold medal during the VISA Paralympic World Cup Athletics at the Sport City Stadium in Manchester, 2006 4/34 Oscar Pistorius in Manchester Oscar Pistorius shows his gold medal after winning the T44 200 m for men at the Visa Paralympic world cup at the Manchester Regional Arena, 2007 5/34 Oscar Pistorius competes in race Oscar Pistorius competing in the men's 400m race B, 2007 6/34 Oscar Pistorius in Rome Oscar Pistorius settles in the blocks before winning the Mens 400m 'B' race during the IAAF Golden Gala at The Olympic Stadium in Rome, 2007 7/34 Oscar Pistorius in Rome Oscar Pistorius poses during the broadcast 'Piazza grande' on Italian TV state channel 'Rai 1' in Rome, 2008 8/34 Oscar Pistorius in St.Petersburg (L to R) Bryan Habana, Cuba Gooding Jr and Oscar Pistorius during the Laureus welcome reception at Gimnazya in St.Petersburg, 2008 9/34 Oscar Pistorius arrives at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne Oscar Pistorius arrives at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne to appeal his case on the second day of his hearing as he was told by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) that he could not compete in their events because the artificial legs he uses gives him an unfair advantage, 2008 10/34 Oscar Pistorius runs during a training session Oscar Pistorius runs during a training session on the track of Emmeloord, 2008 11/34 Oscar Pistorius in Germany Oscar Pistorius compete during the 400 meter race at the German disabled athletics championships in Berlin, 2008 12/34 Oscar Pistorius in Italy Oscar Pistorius of South Africa relaxes prior to the 400m race in his quest to make the Olympic qualifying time of 45.55 during the Notturna di Milano International Athletics Meeting at the Arena Gianni Brera in Milan, 2008 13/34 Oscar Pistorius in China Oscar Pistorius speaks at a press conference for the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games in Beijing, 2008 14/34 Oscar Pistorius in China Oscar Pistorius of South Africa celebrates after winning the gold medal in the Men's 100m T44 Final Athletics event at the National Stadium during day three of the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, 2008 15/34 Oscar Pistorius in China Oscar Pistorious (L) leads Heros Marai (C) of Italy and Christoph Bausch (R) of Switzerland in the heats of the men's 100 metre T44 classification race at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games in Beijing, 2008 16/34 Oscar Pistorius and Nelson Mandela in South Africa Oscar Pistorius and former South African President, Nelson Mandela in South Africa, 2009 17/34 Oscar Pistorius in Norway Oscar Pistorius looks on prior to the 400m B-final during the IAAF Golden League Bislett Games in Oslo, 2009 18/34 Oscar Pistorius in London Oscar Pistorius reacts after winning the men's 400 metres T44 final race with a new world record time of 47.04 sec during the Diamond League athletics meeting at Crystal Palace in London, 2010 19/34 Oscar Pistorius in New Zealand Oscar Pistorius of South Africa celebrates receiving his gold medal after winning the Men's 200m T44 final during day three of the IPC Athletics Championships at QE II Park in Christchurch, New Zealand, 2011 20/34 Oscar Pistorius in New Zealand (L-R) Arnu Fourie, Henry Roos, Oscar Pistorius and Mike Samkelo Radebe of South Africa celebrate after winning the Men's 4x100m Relay T42-46 final during day eight of the IPC Athletics Championships at QE II Park in Christchurch, New Zealand, 2011 21/34 Oscar Pistorius in New Zealand Oscar Pistorius of South Africa poses with his medals during day eight of the IPC Athletics Championships at QE II Park in Christchurch, New Zealand, 2011 22/34 Oscar Pistorius in South Africa Oscar Pistorius in action during the 400m during day 5 of The Nedbank National Championships for the Physically Disabled from Olympia Park Stadium in Rustenburg, 2011 23/34 Oscar Pistorius in Czech Republic Oscar Pistorius warms up before the men's 400m event at the Zlata Tretra (Golden Spike) athletics meeting in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava, 2011 24/34 Oscar Pistorius in New York Oscar Pistorius attends the Eva Mendes launch of her new campaign for Angel by Thierry Mugler at IAC Building in New York, 2011 25/34 Oscar Pistorius in South Korea Oscar Pistorius of South Africa speaks with Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson of the United States during a media gathering at the Novatel Hotel prior to the 13th IAAF World Athletics Championships Daegu 2011 in Daegu, South Korea, 2011 26/34 Oscar Pistorius in South Korea Oscar Pistorius prepares to settle into the blocks to compete in the men's 400 metres heats at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships in Daegu, 2011 27/34 Oscar Pistorius in London South African sprint runner known as 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius (C) poses for photographers with Paralympians ahead of the international Paralympic Day in central London, 2011 28/34 Oscar Pistorius in London Oscar Pistorius poses in the press room with his Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability trophy at the 2012 Laureus World Sports Awards at Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London, 2012 29/34 Oscar Pistorius in London Oscar Pistorius of South Africa competes in the Men's 400m Round 1 heat on Day 8 of the 2012 London Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in London, 2012 30/34 Oscar Pistorius receives his honorary doctorate Oscar Pistorius holds his scroll after receiving his honorary doctorate from Strathclyde University in the Barony Hall in Glasgow, 2012 31/34 Oscar Pistorius with his girlfriend Oscar Pistorius posing next to his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg, 2013 32/34 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius hides his face in his hands in the court room during his hearing on charge of murdering his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at the Magistrate Court in Pretoria, 2013 33/34 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius stands in the Magistrate Court in Pretoria after appearing for the first time since being freed on bail over the Valentine's Day killing of his model girlfriend, 2013 34/34 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius appeared on charges of murdering his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 2013 1/34 Oscar Pistorius in Greece Oscar Pistorius wins the 200m T44 for Men during the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, 2004 2/34 Oscar Pistorius in Greece Oscar Pistorius at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, 2004 3/34 Oscar Pistorius in Manchester Oscar Pistorius celebrates winning his second gold medal during the VISA Paralympic World Cup Athletics at the Sport City Stadium in Manchester, 2006 4/34 Oscar Pistorius in Manchester Oscar Pistorius shows his gold medal after winning the T44 200 m for men at the Visa Paralympic world cup at the Manchester Regional Arena, 2007 5/34 Oscar Pistorius competes in race Oscar Pistorius competing in the men's 400m race B, 2007 6/34 Oscar Pistorius in Rome Oscar Pistorius settles in the blocks before winning the Mens 400m 'B' race during the IAAF Golden Gala at The Olympic Stadium in Rome, 2007 7/34 Oscar Pistorius in Rome Oscar Pistorius poses during the broadcast 'Piazza grande' on Italian TV state channel 'Rai 1' in Rome, 2008 8/34 Oscar Pistorius in St.Petersburg (L to R) Bryan Habana, Cuba Gooding Jr and Oscar Pistorius during the Laureus welcome reception at Gimnazya in St.Petersburg, 2008 9/34 Oscar Pistorius arrives at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne Oscar Pistorius arrives at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne to appeal his case on the second day of his hearing as he was told by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) that he could not compete in their events because the artificial legs he uses gives him an unfair advantage, 2008 10/34 Oscar Pistorius runs during a training session Oscar Pistorius runs during a training session on the track of Emmeloord, 2008 11/34 Oscar Pistorius in Germany Oscar Pistorius compete during the 400 meter race at the German disabled athletics championships in Berlin, 2008 12/34 Oscar Pistorius in Italy Oscar Pistorius of South Africa relaxes prior to the 400m race in his quest to make the Olympic qualifying time of 45.55 during the Notturna di Milano International Athletics Meeting at the Arena Gianni Brera in Milan, 2008 13/34 Oscar Pistorius in China Oscar Pistorius speaks at a press conference for the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games in Beijing, 2008 14/34 Oscar Pistorius in China Oscar Pistorius of South Africa celebrates after winning the gold medal in the Men's 100m T44 Final Athletics event at the National Stadium during day three of the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, 2008 15/34 Oscar Pistorius in China Oscar Pistorious (L) leads Heros Marai (C) of Italy and Christoph Bausch (R) of Switzerland in the heats of the men's 100 metre T44 classification race at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games in Beijing, 2008 16/34 Oscar Pistorius and Nelson Mandela in South Africa Oscar Pistorius and former South African President, Nelson Mandela in South Africa, 2009 17/34 Oscar Pistorius in Norway Oscar Pistorius looks on prior to the 400m B-final during the IAAF Golden League Bislett Games in Oslo, 2009 18/34 Oscar Pistorius in London Oscar Pistorius reacts after winning the men's 400 metres T44 final race with a new world record time of 47.04 sec during the Diamond League athletics meeting at Crystal Palace in London, 2010 19/34 Oscar Pistorius in New Zealand Oscar Pistorius of South Africa celebrates receiving his gold medal after winning the Men's 200m T44 final during day three of the IPC Athletics Championships at QE II Park in Christchurch, New Zealand, 2011 20/34 Oscar Pistorius in New Zealand (L-R) Arnu Fourie, Henry Roos, Oscar Pistorius and Mike Samkelo Radebe of South Africa celebrate after winning the Men's 4x100m Relay T42-46 final during day eight of the IPC Athletics Championships at QE II Park in Christchurch, New Zealand, 2011 21/34 Oscar Pistorius in New Zealand Oscar Pistorius of South Africa poses with his medals during day eight of the IPC Athletics Championships at QE II Park in Christchurch, New Zealand, 2011 22/34 Oscar Pistorius in South Africa Oscar Pistorius in action during the 400m during day 5 of The Nedbank National Championships for the Physically Disabled from Olympia Park Stadium in Rustenburg, 2011 23/34 Oscar Pistorius in Czech Republic Oscar Pistorius warms up before the men's 400m event at the Zlata Tretra (Golden Spike) athletics meeting in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava, 2011 24/34 Oscar Pistorius in New York Oscar Pistorius attends the Eva Mendes launch of her new campaign for Angel by Thierry Mugler at IAC Building in New York, 2011 25/34 Oscar Pistorius in South Korea Oscar Pistorius of South Africa speaks with Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson of the United States during a media gathering at the Novatel Hotel prior to the 13th IAAF World Athletics Championships Daegu 2011 in Daegu, South Korea, 2011 26/34 Oscar Pistorius in South Korea Oscar Pistorius prepares to settle into the blocks to compete in the men's 400 metres heats at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships in Daegu, 2011 27/34 Oscar Pistorius in London South African sprint runner known as 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius (C) poses for photographers with Paralympians ahead of the international Paralympic Day in central London, 2011 28/34 Oscar Pistorius in London Oscar Pistorius poses in the press room with his Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability trophy at the 2012 Laureus World Sports Awards at Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London, 2012 29/34 Oscar Pistorius in London Oscar Pistorius of South Africa competes in the Men's 400m Round 1 heat on Day 8 of the 2012 London Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in London, 2012 30/34 Oscar Pistorius receives his honorary doctorate Oscar Pistorius holds his scroll after receiving his honorary doctorate from Strathclyde University in the Barony Hall in Glasgow, 2012 31/34 Oscar Pistorius with his girlfriend Oscar Pistorius posing next to his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg, 2013 32/34 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius hides his face in his hands in the court room during his hearing on charge of murdering his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at the Magistrate Court in Pretoria, 2013 33/34 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius stands in the Magistrate Court in Pretoria after appearing for the first time since being freed on bail over the Valentine's Day killing of his model girlfriend, 2013 34/34 Oscar Pistorius in court Oscar Pistorius appeared on charges of murdering his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 2013

“Global media attention, bar-stool conversation and pillow talk will shift from the Oscars on Sunday night to Oscar on Monday when the Blade Runner straps on his prosthetic limbs for the long walk to the high court,” the firm said in a blogpost.

Happy to present the offer as an unashamed publicity stunt, it added: “As an international media circus descends on South Africa, Paddy Power's marketing department has entered the fray.”

The ad has however received scathing criticism from anti-domestic violence campaign groups such as Everyday Victim Blaming and Men Against Violence, which have been encouraging people to log complaints with the ASA.

A change.org petition urging MPs to put pressure on Paddy Power to pull the ad has been launched by Jean Hachet.

The trial of Oscar Pistorius is set to begin on Monday after he shot and killed Reeva Steenkamp in his South African home. Pistorius maintains he believed Ms Steenkamp was an intruder, while the prosecution will argue that he intentionally shot her several times following an argument.