1 of 3
Oscar Pistorius cries as the 'Not Guilty' verdict for murder is read out
2 of 3
Protests outside court as the Pistorius trial verdict was being delivered
3 of 3
A woman holds a banner in support of Pistorius
Although Oscar Pistorius has been cleared today of the premeditated murder of his girlfriend - of Reeva Steenkamp, he can still be convicted of culpable homicide which carries up to a 15-year prison sentence, when he returns to court tomorrow.
The prosecution argued that Steenkamp screamed during a heated row with the Paralympic athlete before he deliberately shot her through a locked toilet door.
Pistorius denies murdering Steenkamp saying he shot Steenkamp in a tragic accident - believing her to be an intruder.
Judge Thokozile Masipa said it was clear that his actions were "negligent" and he had "acted too hastily" and used "excessive force" the night Steenkamp died.
"The State clearly has not proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty of premeditated murder. There are just not enough facts to support such a finding," she said.
In her verdict, Masipa said it was irrelevant that the person behind the door turned out to be Steenkamp, not an intruder. Rather, "the starting point is however, once more, whether the accused had the intention to kill the person behind the door," she said.
Masipa also ruled out dolus eventualis - that he could have foreseen that his actions would kill his girlfriend.
"Clearly he did not subjectively foresee this as a possibility that he would kill the person behind the door, let alone the deceased as he thought she was in the bedroom," she said.
Before this, she said Pistorius knew the difference "between right and wrong" on the night he shot Steenkamp, and the athlete took a "conscious decision" to get a gun and head to the bathroom, where his girlfriend was inside.
"This court is satisfied that at the relevant time, the accused could distinguish between right and wrong, and that he could act in accordance with that distinction. It is also clear that the defence of non-pathological insanity has no foundation," she said.
The Judge also questioned the reliability of witnesses who heard screaming and gunshots on the night Pistorius shot dead Steenkamp. Witnesses who say they heard the incident may have "got their facts wrong", she noted in her verdict.
She said Steenkamp’s “respiratory functions would have been comprised substantially” after being shot, suggesting she would have been unable to shout or scream, “at least not in the manner described by those witnesses who are adamant they heard her scream repeatedly".
Pistorius faces three other unrelated charges – two for firing a gun in a public space, and one for illegally possessing ammunition.