Pretoria: South African judge on Friday found Thokozile Masipa Oscar Pistorius guilty of manslaughter after he was acquitted of intentionally murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
On the murder charge, Masipa said, "the accused is acquitted and discharged, instead guilty of manslaughter was found." The maximum penalty for manslaughter is 15 years in prison. The judge will sentence the celebrity athlete at a later date.
Before announcing the verdict of murder, the judge found him guilty of Pistorius negligent handling of a firearm in the restaurant, but acquitted of two other charges of firearms.
In state`s first victory after the shock dismissal of murder charges against the star athlete, Pistorius said the judge was guilty of recklessly discharging a firearm in a restaurant full of Johannesburg.
Pistorius was accused of asking to see a gun in the restaurant Tasha`sy when handling under the table the gun went off.
"He may not have intentionally pulled the trigger ... that does not absolve him of the crime of recklessly handling a firearm," said Masipa.
Pistorius, who had remained impassive throughout the morning, began his jaw during sentencing.
However Masipa Pistorius was cleared on charges of illegal possession of ammunition, the sprinter said belonged to his father.
She also said there was enough evidence to suggest that he was guilty of another offense of discharging a firearm through a car sunroof.
Yesterday, Pistorius was cleared of murdering his model girlfriend in a surprising decision that legal experts describe as too lenient.
In a verdict live television worldwide diffusion-, the judge found Thursday Thokozile Masipa double amputee "Blade Runner" did not deliberately violate killing 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp.
"He clearly has not been proved beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty of premeditated murder," the High Court in Pretoria Masipa said, before adjourning for the day.
Legal experts expressed shock that Pistorius was found not guilty of murder, and predicted the case that has gripped South Africans, and much of the world for a year would not rest with the verdict.
"I think ella` s going to get quite a lot of criticism from the judiciary and the legal system," said criminal lawyer Martin Hood.
"The consensus among the legal community was that he is guilty of murder," the lawyer based in Johannesburg.
"This could really open the door to systematic abuse of our legal system by people who shoot their partners and claim self-defense."
Unless acquitted completely, Pistorius could still face more than a decade behind bars in South AFRICAN notoriously brutal prisons.
Masipa - who made the journey from a slum in Johannesburg one of the country `Top legal Posts - seemed to lean toward finding Pistorius guilty of manslaughter before the abrupt rise.
After describing Pistorius, 27, as "poor witness" who was "evasive" when questioned, Masipa criticized his actions in the early hours of Valentine's Day 2013.
"I am of the opinion that the defendant acted too hastily and use of excessive force. Given the circumstances, it is clear that his conduct was negligent," he said.
"On the facts of this case I'm not convinced that a reasonable person with disabilities accused`s in the same circumstances would have fired four shots in that little cubicle."
She also said that Pistorius "took no steps to prevent the resulting death," crossing out another prerequisite for a murder conviction. After Thursday`s verdict Paralympic sprinter sat on the inclined bench and burying his head in his hands.
Her sister Aimee ran from the front row of the stands to embrace his older brother, the tears from his eyes with a handkerchief dried.
Your Aunt Lois said that the trial was not over. "It`s s is not the end you know, we` re still listening. "
When asked how they proceedings, defense attorney Barry Roux smiled, but was short of his usual grin.
Parents Reeva Steenkamp, blonde law graduate named one of the sexiest women in the world `s magazine FHM, left the courtroom with stony faces.
Another lawyer David Dadic Johannesburg said he and other lawyers "are quite surprised by the decision ... to death behind the door, regardless of who the victim was not foreseeable."
The lawyers also expect Pistorius will be convicted of separate charges twice the discharge of a firearm and ammunition in public possession, for which he may be imprisoned, lose his license or face a fine.
The verdict is the climax of a murder trial six months who has cast a harsh spotlight on the private life of the fallen hero.
Full of drama, the trial has fueled intense media interest worldwide, with live veering into the realm of reality TV.
During the procedures Pistorius is broken, weeping and sometimes vomiting girlfriend`s to hear the head "exploded" like a watermelon under the impact of hollow point bullets.
James Grant, Wits University criminal law professor James Grant said the state could appeal if they consider that an error of law.
