Oscar Pistorius granted bail despite judge finding him guilty of culpable homocide: Report

Paralympian Oscar Pistorius has been released on bail despite being found guilty of the manslaughter of his girlfriend early Friday morning.

As the shamed sprinter stood patiently in the dock, his hands folded in front of him, Judge Thokozile Masipa convicted him of culpable homicide after he shot Reeva Steenkamp dead at his home, reported the Daily Mail.

Pistorius could now face a prison stint of up to 15 years, but might walk free with a suspended term when he is sentenced at a later date.

For now, he is free to walk out of court until sentencing

Judge Masipa told the hushed courtroom: "Having regard to the totality of this evidence in this matter, the unanimous decision of this court is the following: on count one, murder... the accused found not guilty and is discharged.

"Instead he is found guilty of culpable homicide."

Steenkamp's father Barry leaned forward in his seat when the manslaughter verdict was read, while her mother, June, showed no reaction.

Meanwhile, members of Pistorius's family embraced the once idolized runner.

The athlete known as Blade Runner was also found guilty of firing a gun in a crowded restaurant months before the shooting, but acquitted of two other counts — of discharging a firearm through a car sunroof and illegally possessing ammunition. 

Only a day before, Pistorius broke down in tears as he was dramatically found not guilty of pre-meditated murder and a lesser murder charge.

Nathi Mncube, for the National Prosecuting Authority, said they were "disappointed" Pistorius was convicted of only two charges.

He said prosecutors would decide whether to appeal after sentencing.

Oscar Pistorius claims another 'blade runner' had unfair advantage, then apologizes

Oscar Pistorius — the so-called "Blade Runner" — has apologized for the poor timing of his comments after his shocking loss in the Paralympic 200m final Sunday.

The double-amputee track star claimed gold medalist Alan Oliveira's artificial legs were too long and criticized the International Paralympic Committee immediately after the stunning upset.

"We are not running a fair race here," said Pistorius.  "I don't know how you can come back, watching the replay, from eight meters behind on the 100 to win.  It's absolutely ridiculous."

Pistorius' remarks were ironic because, when he ran in last month's Olympics, track and field officials said his carbon-fiber "blades" gave him an unfair advantage over able-bodied athletes.

In a statement Monday, Pistorius said: "That was Alan's moment and I would like to put on the record the respect I have for him.

"I want to apologize for the timing of of my comments but I do believe there is an issue here."







The world-record holder  — on the verge of winning his third straight 200m gold — was passed by Oliveira (also a double-amputee) in the final 20 meters.  Pistorius finished second with a time of 21.52 seconds while Oliveira broke the tape at 21.45.

Oliveira, a 20-year old Brazilian, was taken aback by the comments from his "idol."

"The length of my blades is all right," he said.  "I went through all the procedures with the referees.  I believe Pistorius also knows that."

Pistorius set a new world record of 21.30 seconds when qualifying for the final on Saturday — breaking the previous mark of 21.88 set by Oliveira two races earlier.

Stella McCartney unveils her "secret" UK Olympic outfits

The famed designer Stella McCartney unveiled her designs for Britain's Olympians with imaginative uses of the Union Jack's red, white and blue colors.

The uniforms, a closely guarded secret for months, were shown at the Tower of London in a king-sized event that brought the worlds of high fashion and international sports together as one.

At this gala event, the rail-thin super-models were the ones on the sidelines as McCartney— who is serving as Adidas' creative director for the Summer Games— used real athletes to show off the designs they will wear at the Olympics and Paralympics.

"The basic message is to unify the team," the designer told The Associated Press.  "The athletes all want to feel like one team.  The other big starting point for me was the Union flag, an iconic flag.  I think every Briton is proud of it, but I wanted to look at it in a different way."

Her theme— come together.  I think I've heard that song before, but where?

McCartney isn't the only famous designer with an Olympic line coming out— Ralph Lauren is working on some of the outfits for the U.S. team, and Giorgio Armani is behind the designs of the Italian team.

If they gave gold medals for designs, the Italians might sweep.