Oscar Pistorius held guilty of culpable homicide

Oscar Pistorius

Pretoria, Sep 12 (IANS) Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, facing charges of killing his girlfriend in 2013, was given bail Friday by a South African court here but only until he is sentenced for culpable homicide. Having been found guilty of culpable homicide for shooting Reeva Steenkamp dead on Valentine's Day, Pistorius faces up to 15 years in prison for the offence and five more for firing a gun in a restaurant. He was, however, acquitted of two other firearm offences, the Independent reported.

He has been given bail until his sentencing begins October 13. Pistorius shot his girlfriend dead through a locked toilet door February 14, 2013, at his house in Pretoria.

Though saying he could not be convicted of premeditated murder, Judge Thokozile Masipa found Pistorius guilty of the lesser charge, which is the South African equivalent of manslaughter.

The judge said Pistorius made a "conscious decision" to pick up a gun and knew the difference between right and wrong.

Meanwhile, the state had alleged that September 30, 2012, Pistorius allegedly shot through the open sunroof of a car with his 9 mm pistol while driving with his friend Darren Fresco and his ex-girlfriend Samantha Taylor in Modderfontein settlement, the Independent Online reported.

Pistorius also faced two other charges of contravening the Firearms Control Act - one of illegal possession of ammunition and the other of discharging a firearm in public. He allegedly fired a shot from a Glock pistol under a table at a Johannesburg restaurant in Jan 2013.

Though found guilty of firing a gun in a restaurant, Pistorius was cleared of another count of discharging a weapon in a public place. He was also acquitted of possessing ammunition for an unlicensed firearm.

"Evidential material before this court shows that the accused acted negligently when he fired into the toilet door, knowing there was someone behind the door," Judge Masipa ruled in the high court in Pretoria.

"It cannot be said that the accused did not entertain a genuine belief that there was an intruder in the toilet who posed a threat to him," the judge said.

"It could not be said that he foresaw that either the deceased, or anyone else for that matter, might be killed when he fired the shots at that door."