For a man who loved guns and had a vicious quick temper I think he's been very lucky with this first declared verdict. Let's see what Friday brings .... hopefully it'll be justice!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-29143540

Yawn! Who had ever heard of this thug before this trial? Not me

So an unknown man who runs on springs is involved with the death of his girlfriend. Why does that warrant virtually wall to wall coverage on the rolling news channels. It aint UK news

Bloke looked a bit cut up about it and genuinely sorry during the trial.

Important to remember that South Africa is a more dangerous place to live. If pistorious had a side arm it must be easy enough to acquire the licence and the weapon then so can the bad people.

The gulf over there between rich and poor is enormous and the violent crime rate high, those with any sort of money are forced to live in gated estates with private security as was the case here.

Bloke had no lower legs and without those springs lacks the ability to flee in the case of danger. This would have placed additional stress upon him at the critical moment.

He woke abruptly was almost certainly disorientated (we have all experienced this from waking from a deep sleep) heard someone in his bathroom thought the worst grabbed the weapon and let go.

I can buy his story in that it was an accident. If he had planned murder then there would be easier less obvious ways of doing it.

All that said he is still automatically guilty of manslaughter so will get some sort of jail time.

All very sad and a waste of two lives but that's life. A 5 minute portion on BBC News 24 in the weeks round up would have covered it enough for me.

Watch this space for the Shrien Dewani trail due to start very soon... More blanket news coverage but that chap definitely has a shifty look in his eye..

Wouldn't the first thing you'd do is see if your girl-friend was still lying beside you? If she wasn't wouldn't you think that she was possibly in the bathroom before firing off 7 bullets through the door?
His love of guns and his past record with shooting guns out of car sun roofs makes me wonder.


http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/m ... iend-court

He has just been found guilty of discharging the firearm in public and of what the SA call Culpable Homicide which I assume is equivalent to Manslaughter. Firing a gun in public is still a long way from murder though

That verdict was odds on anyway the moment he was found not guilty of the murder. He had to be guilty of one or the other.

Intent was the key here. The judge has accepted he made a terrible mistake and I expect him to be awarded jail time in the next few minutes for the error.