Anni Dewani murder: South African Xolile Mngeni guilty

A South African man has been convicted of firing the shot which killed Swedish woman Anni Dewani on her honeymoon in 2010.

Xolile Mngeni, 25, was found guilty of murder by a judge in Cape Town.

His co-accused have said they helped kill Mrs Dewani, 28, on the orders of her husband Shrien Dewani, who is from the English city of Bristol.

Mr Dewani denies plotting to kill his wife. A British court has halted his extradition, citing his mental health.

Mrs Dewani's body was found with a single gunshot wound to the neck after she and her husband had been kidnapped while travelling in a taxi through the township of Gugulethu near Cape Town. He had been released unharmed.

Mngeni's trial had been repeatedly delayed while he had surgery to remove a brain tumour, but a judge ruled he was fit to face justice.

His lawyer said he suffered blackouts and had problems with his memory, reports the AP news agency.

The BBC's Milton Nkosi, who was in court, says Mngeni looked stony-faced throughout the judgement.

He denied the charges but Judge Robert Henney said the accused's "evidence was riddled with inconsistencies and untruths".

He used a walking frame to go down the stairs to the cells from the dock.

He was also convicted of robbery with aggravating circumstances, and illegal possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

The case has received massive public attention in both the UK and South Africa.

Correspondents say many South Africans are following the case closely, as they feel initial coverage was used to strengthen the perception that theirs is a violent country. They hope that if it is proved that the plot was hatched abroad, South Africa's image may be partially restored.

Taxi driver Zola Tongo says he was approached by Mr Dewani, who offered him about $2,100 (£1,340) to organise the killing and make it look like a carjacking.

He was sentenced to 18 years in prison following a plea bargain.

In August, Mziwamadoda Qwabe was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to shooting Mrs Dewani.

Tongo has said he recruited both Mngeni and Qwabe to carry out the killing.

Mr Dewani owns a care home in Bristol, in the west of England, where the couple lived before Mrs Dewani was killed.

He was allowed to return home after his wife was killed.

In March, a UK High Court ruled that it would be "unjust and oppressive" to extradite him to South Africa, as his mental condition had deteriorated since his arrest. He has been diagnosed as suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

His lawyers want proceedings to be halted for a year to give him time to recover.

Mr Dewani faces charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and obstructing the administration of justice.