December 18, 2025 04:51 am (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Indian Visa Application Centre in Dhaka shuts down early amid rising security concerns | Market update: Sensex tumbles 120 points, Nifty below 25,850 at closing bell | ‘Won’t apologise’: Prithviraj Chavan stands firm on controversial Operation Sindoor remark despite backlash | India summons Bangladesh High Commissioner after provocative 'seven sisters' remark | Amazon eyes $10 billion investment in OpenAI — a gamechanger for AI industry! | Goa nightclub fire horror: Luthra brothers brought back to India from Thailand, arrested | Messi chaos costs minister his job: Aroop Biswas resigns after Salt Lake Stadium fiasco | Bengal SIR draft list out: Around 58 lakh voters’ names dropped | Relief for Sonia, Rahul Gandhi as Delhi court refuses to act on ED chargesheet in National Herald case | Centre moves to replace MGNREGA with 'G Ram G', sets stage for winter session showdown

Oscar Pistorius "cleared" of Reeva murder

| | Sep 11, 2014, at 10:59 pm
Pretoria, Sept 11 (IBNS): "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius was found “not guilty” of the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp Thursday as a South African judge dismissed the most serious charges against him, AFP reported.


While reading the verdict, Judge Thokozile Masipa said, "The state clearly has not proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty of premeditated murder".

“Clearly he did not objectively foresee this as a possibility, that he would kill the person behind the door,” AFP quoted her as saying.

Judge Masipa said, "Viewed in its totality the evidence failed to establish that the accused had the requisite intention to kill the deceased let alone with premeditation."

Pistorius was charged with one count of murder and three firearms offences over the killing of his girlfriend Reeva on 14 February, 2013. 

 
According to Legal experts, Oscar could still be found guilty of culpable homicide, carrying anything from a suspended sentence to a lengthy prison stretch, or he could be acquitted. 
 
Sentencing though may take a few weeks. 
 
Both defence and prosecution agreed Pistorius killed the law graduate and model when he fired four shots through a locked toilet door in his upmarket Pretoria home.
 
But the sprinter said he thought he was shooting at an intruder while Steenkamp was safely in bed. 
 
The 27-year-old was seen sitting in the dock bowed and burying his head in his hands after the finding was made. 
 
But Thursday's verdict is unlikely to be the end of the case, feels legal experts. 
 
There will be more courtroom arguments before a sentence is handed down and, most likely, an appeal to a higher court. 
 
Whatever happens, Pistorius's glittering sporting career is likely to be over, they said.

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.