Oscar Pistorius cleared of all murder charges

Judge Thokozile Masipa delivered the verdict in Oscar Pistorius' murder trial.

By Dave Lancaster |

12:22 11 September 2014

'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius has been found not guilty of all murder charges. Judge Thokozile Masipa delivered the verdict to the Olympic athlete.

The judge claimed that the prosecution hadn't adequately proven that the runner deliberately killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year. Pistorius had claimed he thought she was an intruder.

"The state has not proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty of premeditated murder," Judge Masipa said. "There are just not enough facts to support such a finding."

"How could the accused reasonably have foreseen that the shot he fired would kill the deceased?" she continued.

"Clearly he did not subjectively foresee this as a possibility, that he would kill the person behind the door, let alone the deceased as he thought she was in the bedroom at the time."

As the murder trial drew to its conclusion, Pistorius looked tense and then started to cry.

The judge questioned the reliability of witnesses who "got facts wrong".

Pistorius has pleaded not guilty to all the charges he faced, which also included two counts of shooting a firearm in public and illegal possession of ammunition. The ammunition charge alone holds a possible sentence of up to 15 years and each gun a possible five year prison term.

While the 27-year-old South African sprinter is cleared of murder, he may still be guilty of culpable homicide (manslaughter), the judge advised. Culpable homicide has a maximum sentence of 15 years but would more likely be between seven and 10 years.

Verdicts on these other charges are expected in due course.