Oscar Pistorius found GUILTY of culpable homicide (manslaughter)

After being found not guilty of murder, athlete Oscar Pistorius has now been found guilty of culpable homicide.

By Dave Lancaster |

09:53 12 September 2014

Oscar Pistorius has been found guilty of culpable homicide (a form of manslaughter) after the judge ruled that the South African athlete killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp by accident.

Judge Thokozile Masipa previously declared the disabled sprinter not guilty of her murder, saying that state prosecutors could not produce a good enough motive and that witnesses failed to get their facts right.

She told the courtroom: "Having regard to the totality of this evidence in this matter, the unanimous decision of this court is the following: on count one, murder ... the accused found not guilty and is discharged.

"Instead he is found guilty of culpable homicide."

The judge stated that Pistorius acted "negligently" in the "belief that there was an intruder" as he fired his pistol through a toilet door on Valentine's Day, killing his girlfriend.

Double amputee Pistorius was also found guilty of 'negligently handling a firearm' that discharged in a restaurant in a separate incident.

The 'blade runner' is now facing a jail sentence of up to 15 years behind bars but it's thought that seven to 10 is more likely.