Comedian causes outrage with Reeva Steenkamp joke

British comedian Jimmy Carr has split both fans and critics after one of his jokes suggested Oscar Pistorius' motives for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The high profile court case came to a close this week when Pistorius was handed a maximum five-year jail sentence for manslaughter, and it took the 42-year-old comedian moments to make a wise crack comment whilst hosting the Q Music Awards in London.

Carr's began his Pistorius inspired set with a reference to the length of the queue for the men's bathroom.

"So frustrating. All I'm saying is I can understand it from Oscar Pistorius' point of view," Carr said.

The joke was met with a cold silence by the celebrity packed crowd who seemed unsure of how to react. Ever the optimist and always looking to push the comedey boundaries, Carr was in no mood to change the topic of conversation.

"That's not the controversial bit," Carr began. "Here it comes ... I blame her [Ms Steenkamp]. If she hadn't been in that disabled toilet, none of this would have happened."

When Carr realised he wasn't hitting the mark, he defended himself by saying: "It's the f---ing Q Awards, come on."

"I think it went all right," Carr told The Mirror after the awards had concluded.

"I'm going to go home and write some new jokes."

The audience weren't the only ones outraged by the joke, as social media did its job of stirring the proverbial pot.

However, there were supporters of Carr who deemed the Pistorius trial fodder for comedy.