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Oscar Pistorius Not Guilty Of Murder.

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UPDATE: Oscar Pistorius was found guilty of the manslaughter of Reeva Steenkamp today. Their version of the charge, culpable homicide, has a maximum sentence of 15 years but Pistorius may not face a prison sentence at all, given it’s his first ever criminal conviction and the judge believed he showed genuine remorse for the incident. 

Sentencing won’t be until a later date, but the judge’s comments that he was irresponsible and criminally negligent in firing four shots from a gun into a very small bathroom indicate that she believed he should have known he was likely to kill whoever was in there, and so a prison sentence seems like the likeliest course for her to take. At least now Reeva Steenkamp’s family have some closure and begin the difficult process of moving on.

The trial of Oscar Pistorius, the South African athlete, has taken a shocking turn today, as he was cleared of murder of any kind of Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius fired a number of shots through a bathroom door in his house, killing his girlfriend. He contended that he believed it was an intruder and he was defending himself.

While the judge has said that Pistorius himself was an unreliable witness and he was evasive in his evidence, she also stated that the prosecution had produced no facts to say Pistorius intended to kill Reeva Steenkamp. The judge further stated that all of the prosecution evidence was circumstantial and there was simply not enough evidence to convict Oscar Pistorius of the charge.

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After the judge gave the verdicts on the murder charges, she took a break for lunch and then went on to deliver the verdict on the charge of culpable homicide, the South African version of manslaughter. The judge has begun to outline that Oscar Pistorius is guilty of this offence, but that still isn’t set in stone. There are still a number of firearms charges too to be dealt tomorrow as the trial concludes.

What this means for the family of Reeva Steenkamp is that they sadly had to sit in court and hear the harrowing facts of the case read out again. Even if Oscar Pistorius is convicted of the remaining charges, there is a chance he would still not serve any time at all in prison for the offences, given it’s his first offence and that he has shown remorse since the shooting. Only time will tell what punishment, if any, awaits Oscar Pistorius.

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(Images and source – SkyNews, New Yorker)

 

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