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"Blade-Runner" Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide

| | Sep 12, 2014, at 09:44 pm
#Blade Runner # South African Judge Thokozile Masipa
New Delhi, Sept 12 (IBNS): Six-time Paralympics champion "Blade-Runner" Oscar Pistorius found guilty on Friday of culpable homicide charges in killing his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, a conviction that could land him in jail for 15 years, media reported.

A day after he was acquitted of murder charges, South African Judge Thokozile Masipa on Friday said that Pistorius had acted "negligently" when firing four hollow point rounds into a locked toilet door in the early hours of Valentine's Day 2013 that resulted in the death of his girlfriend. 

 
Pistorius was charged with one count of murder and three firearms offences. 
 
The Judge delivered, "The accused is found not guilty and is discharged of murder charges, instead he is found guilty of culpable homicide,” reported media. 
 
In her verdict, Masipa said, “A reasonable person would have foreseen that possibility that whoever was behind the door might be killed by the shots and would have taken steps to avoid the consequences and the accused in this matter failed to take those consequences.” 
 
According to media reports, as the verdict was read out, the "Blade Runner" stared straight ahead as the conviction was read. 
 
Showing little emotion, he started clenching his jaw during the ruling.

On Thursday, the court has cleared him of serious murder charges. 
 
Judge Masipa is reported to have said said that the state clearly has not proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty of premeditated murder. 
 
She said, “Clearly he (Pistorius) did not objectively foresee this as a possibility, that he would kill the person behind the door."
 
Judge Masipa added, "Viewed in its totality the evidence failed to establish that the accused had the requisite intention to kill the deceased let alone with premeditation," as reported in the media.

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.

Pistorius was also convicted of one of three gun charges. 
 
Masipa said Pistorius was guilty of negligently handling a gun in restaurant, but acquitted him on two other firearm charges. 
 
Pistorius was found guilty of asking to see a gun in Tasha's restaurant and while handling it under the table the firearm went off. 
 
"He may not have intentionally pulled the trigger... that does not absolve him of the crime of negligently handling a firearm," said Masipa. 
 
She had however cleared Pistorius on charges of illegally possessing ammunition, which the sprinter said belonged to his father. 
 
She also said there was not enough evidence to suggest he was guilty of another count of shooting a gun through a car sunroof.

Legal experts had earlier voiced surprise that Pistorius was found not guilty of murder. 
 
The verdict is unlikely to be the end of the case, feel legal experts. 
 
There will be more courtroom arguments before a sentence is handed down and, most likely, an appeal to a higher court. 
 
The trial, which has gripped South Africans and much of the world for half a year, has cast a harsh spotlight on the fallen hero's private life. 
 
Whatever happens, Pistorius's glittering sporting career is likely to be over, they said.

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