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Oscar Pistorius found guilty of culpable homicide | Oscar Pistorius found guilty of culpable homicide |
(35 minutes later) | |
South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has been found guilty of culpable homicide after the judge found he killed his girlfriend by mistake. | South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has been found guilty of culpable homicide after the judge found he killed his girlfriend by mistake. |
Judge Thokozile Masipa said the athlete acted "negligently" when he fired shots through a toilet door but in the "belief that there was an intruder". | Judge Thokozile Masipa said the athlete acted "negligently" when he fired shots through a toilet door but in the "belief that there was an intruder". |
She said the state had failed to prove he intended to kill Reeva Steenkamp. | She said the state had failed to prove he intended to kill Reeva Steenkamp. |
He was also found guilty on a charge of negligently handling a firearm that went off in a restaurant. | He was also found guilty on a charge of negligently handling a firearm that went off in a restaurant. |
The BBC's Andrew Harding, in court, says that following the verdicts, Pistorius sat, rubbed his face and slumped briefly forward. | |
There was not much emotion in court because everyone knew that verdict was coming, our correspondent adds. | |
It leaves the disgraced sprinter facing a jail sentence of up to 15 years, although legal experts suggest seven to 10 years is more likely when sentence is passed in a couple of weeks. | |
The double amputee had denied murdering Ms Steenkamp after a row on Valentine's Day last year, saying he shot her by mistake. | |
With this the judge agreed, saying "it cannot be said that the accused did not entertain a genuine belief that there was an intruder". | |
But she said: "The accused knew there was a person behind the toilet door, he chose to use a firearm. | |
"I am of the view the accused acted too hastily and used too much force. It is clear his conduct is negligent." | |
Pistorius was convicted on an unrelated firearms charge - negligently handling a firearm that went off in a crowded restaurant. | |
He was acquitted of another charge of firing a gun in public, through the sunroof of a car, and of a charge of illegal possession of ammunition in the home where he killed Ms Steenkamp. |