Bookmaker Paddy Power has been told to withdraw an advert offering a 'money back' bet if murder-accused Oscar Pistorius is acquitted.
The advert, which sparked an online campaign for it to be banned, will now be removed following a ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
The ASA said the image, which features the South African athlete's face on an Oscar award statuette, would be taken down "with immediate effect" while officials investigate whether it breached advertising regulations.
The move was described as "unusual", as adverts are usually only banned following an investigation, the organisation said.
In a statement today, it said: "On the back of an unprecedented number of complaints, we are investigating whether the ad is offensive for trivialising the issues surrounding a murder trial, the death of a woman and disability; we are also challenging whether, in doing so, it brings the good reputation of advertising generally into dispute.
It continued: "We consider the ad may be seriously prejudicial to the general public on the ground of the likely further serious and/or widespread offence it may cause.
"We are also concerned that the good reputation of the advertising industry may be further damaged by continued publication of this ad."
An online petition calling on Paddy Power chief Patrick Kennedy to ban the advert has received more than 120,000 signatures since it was launched earlier this week.
The petition, which was created by former domestic violence sufferer Jean Hatchet, described the Irish bookmaker's justification for the advert as "unacceptable".
Pistorius, 27, denies murdering his former girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at their home in Pretoria last year.
