Oscar Pistorius Guilty Of Manslaughter, Faces 15yrs Jail Term

Friday, 12 September 2014

Oscar Pistorius Guilty Of Manslaughter, Faces 15yrs Jail Term

Oscar Pistorius cries as the judge delivers her verdict at the Pretoria high court in South Africa

Oscar Pistorius has been found guilty of culpable homicide over the shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The Paralympian stood impassively in the dock, his hands folded in front of him, as the judge convicted him of culpable homicide after he shot Reeva Steenkamp dead at his home.

He could now face a prison term of up to 15 years, but equally may walk free from court with a suspended term when he is sentenced at a later date.

Judge Thokozile Masipa told the hushed courtroom: ‘Having regard to the totality of this evidence in this matter, the unanimous decision of this court is the following: on count one, murder… the accused found not guilty and is discharged.

‘Instead he is found guilty of culpable homicide.’

Miss Steenkamp’s father Barry leaned forward in his seat when the manslaughter verdict was read, while her mother, June, showed no reaction.

Members of Pistorius’s family embraced the shamed athlete

The runner was also found guilty of negligently firing a gun in a crowded restaurant months before the shooting, but acquitted of two other counts – of discharging a firearm through a car sunroof and illegally possessing ammunition.