Oscar Pistorius 'Not Guilty' of murder of his Lover Reeva Steenkamp

HDPhotos-4U ⋅ 11 Sep 2014 10:33:56

Oscar Pistorius has been sensationally cleared of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.The Paralympian broke down in tears and bowed his head in the dock as the judge delivered her verdict.Pistorius had been accused of deliberately shooting the 30-year-old model during a furious row at his Pretoria home on Valentine's Day last year.(FILES) This file picture dated November 4, 2012 shows South Africa's Olympic sprint star Oscar Pistorius and his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp during the Feather Awards held at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg. "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius sat weeping in the dock on September 11, 2014.-AFPBut he had always maintained - often through wails of despair during his six-month trial - that he shot the law graduate in self-defence after mistaking her for an intruder.Judge Thokozile Masipa has yet to decide on a lesser charge of culpable homicide - similar to manslaughter.Earlier, she also ruled there were not enough facts to prove the most serious charge of pre-meditated murder against the athlete.Although she described the 27-year-old as a 'very poor; and 'evasive' witness, judge Thokozile Masipa said this did not mean the track star was necessary guilty in a case that she said was based entirely on circumstantial evidence.'The state has not proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty of premeditated murder,' Masipa told the Pretoria High Court.'There are just not enough facts to support such a finding.'Appearing tense with a sick bucket by his side in the dock, the 27-year-old sprinter looked on as Judge Masipa called Pretoria's High Court to order.During her summary of the case, she dismissed a series of heated text messages between the couple which the prosecution claimed was evidence they were in a volatile relationship.Prosecutor Gerrie Nel had used them in an attempt to bolster his claim that the athlete shot his girlfriend in a fit of rage.