Oscar Pistorius Guilty Of Culpable Homicide
Morning summary
Welcome to live coverage as the high court in Pretoria is set to reconvene to hear Judge Thokozile Masipa continue her ruling on the death of Reeva Steenkamp.
The judge did not give her formal verdict on Thursday. But she has ruled out the possibility that Oscar Pistorius will be found guilty of the murder of his girlfriend on 14 February last year. This morning she will move on to consider whether the athlete is guilty of culpable homicide (manslaughter) for shooting Steenkamp four times through a locked toilet door. Pistorius has maintained he thought it was an intruder and did not mean to kill.
In the judgment she has delivered so far, Masipa has said:
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| Oscar Pistorius Source: www.mirror.co.uk |
By Claire Phipps, Sept. 12, 2014, Theguardian.com
Morning summary
Welcome to live coverage as the high court in Pretoria is set to reconvene to hear Judge Thokozile Masipa continue her ruling on the death of Reeva Steenkamp.
The judge did not give her formal verdict on Thursday. But she has ruled out the possibility that Oscar Pistorius will be found guilty of the murder of his girlfriend on 14 February last year. This morning she will move on to consider whether the athlete is guilty of culpable homicide (manslaughter) for shooting Steenkamp four times through a locked toilet door. Pistorius has maintained he thought it was an intruder and did not mean to kill.
In the judgment she has delivered so far, Masipa has said:
- The state had failed to prove premeditated murder and the evidence was “purely circumstantial”.
- Pistorius will also not be found guilty of murder without premeditation (dolus eventualis), as there was not sufficient evidence to suggest that he had foreseen that his actions could result in the death of the person behind the toilet door.
- Nonetheless, it was clear that Pistorius had acted unlawfully in shooting the person behind the door. A reasonable person would not have fired four shots into the toilet cubicle, because he would have foreseen the consequences: that somebody could be killed.
- Pistorius acted “too hastily and used excessive force … It is clear his conduct was negligent.”
Read the full story: www.theguardian.com
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