The Paralympian was found guilty of culpable homicide – akin to manslaughter in British law – of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 29, in his home in February last year when he shot her dead.

The verdict was delivered this morning (12.09.14) in court in Pretoria, South Africa, by judge Thokozile Masipa, who told the 27-year-old sportsman to stand up as she gave the verdict.

She said it was a unanimous decision of the court that he was not guilty of murder but guilty of culpable homicide, saying: “Evidential material before this court show however that the accused acted negligently.”

Afterwards, the Paralympian was told he could sit down and his eyes remained fixed on the judge.

The judge also stated Pistorius is guilty of count three, discharging a firearm in public, which occurred in a restaurant in 2013, but she dismissed count two, discharging a firearm in public, saying it does not stand.

While there is no prescribed sentence for culpable homicide in South African law, it is being reported he could face anything from a fine to a lengthy prison sentence.

This comes after the judge found Pistorius not guilty of murder yesterday (11.09.14).

Speaking about the culpable homicide charge in court yesterday, judge Masipa said: “He acted too hastily and used excessive force. In the circumstance it is clear that his conduct was negligent.”

In her summing up on Thursday, the judge rejected the charge of premeditated and second degree murder against the sportsman.

She said: “In the present case the accused is the only person who can say what his state of mind was when he fired the shots that killed the deceased.

“How could the accused have reasonably foreseen the shot he fired would have killed the deceased? Clearly he did not subjectively foresee this, that he would have killed the person behind the door, let alone the deceased.”