Six-time Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius has been found guilty of killing his late girl friend, Reeva Steenkamp.
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In a ruling that was broadcast live on South African television channels, the South African Supreme Court of Appeal harshly criticized Mr. Pistorius for his “vaccilating and untruthful” testimony and the many contradictions in his version of what he was thinking when he fired the fatal bullets from his 9-millimetre Taurus semi-automatic pistol.
Mr. Pistorius had been a national hero in South Africa during his athletic career, but many South Africans were outraged by the lower court’s decision to reject the murder charge and convict him only of culpable homicide. Pistorius had been sentenced to five years in prison for manslaughter and got out early in line with correctional services department regulations.
State lawyers said they would aim to show that the high court not only approached the circumstantial evidence incorrectly, but also incorrectly excluded relevant evidence.
“This case involves a human tragedy of Shakespearean proportions”, Judge Eric Leach said as he read out the ruling. It’s defined as “awareness of the likely outcome of an action”-essentially, did Pistorius know what was going to happen when he shot into that bathroom door”.
Her mother June, who was in court, sat quietly with a sombre expression as the ruling was announced, and made no immediate comment afterwards.
“The identity of his victim is irrelevant to his guilt”, the judge said.
Leach says the judges concluded with “no doubt” that Pistorius foresaw that the person behind the door would die after he pumped four bullets into it.
Earlier, prosecutors argued that Pistorius should have been convicted of murder for firing four shots through a locked toilet door. Pistorius was not there.
It was “common sense” that Pistorius must have known he was carrying out a potentially lethal act that “gambled with life” when he fired his gun through the closed toilet door, [Leach] said.
The Pistorius family said in a statement that it had taken note of the judgment.
His voice breaking with emotion, he said of his daughter: “I’m sure she’ll be able to rest as well now”.
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While no dates have been set for the verdict, if sentenced, the Paralympian could be sent back to prison for at least 15 years.
