Judge Jeanette Traverso found him not guilty of five charges including kidnapping and murder involving the death of his wife in Cape Town on their honeymoon four years ago.

She effectively truncated the trial because the state’s case was so flimsy.

Apart from declaring he was not guilty at the start of the trial two months ago, Shrien Dewani has never spoken in the Cape High Court.

This has incensed the family of Swedish-born Anni Dewani, previously Hindocha, who was murdered in a hijacking on November 13, 2010.

Dewani went home a few days later and South African authorities fought for three years to have him extradited to stand trial in Cape Town.

The prosecution produced a taxi driver, serving a 15 year sentence for planning Anni’s killing. He claimed Dewani had paid him about a thousand euros to have his new wife killed.

Judge Jeanette Traverso says the taxi driver lied on the stand.

She could not allow herself to be swayed by public opinion and ordered that the threshold evidence produced by the state was too weak to enable any reasonable court to find Dewani guilty.

Anni’s brother Ashok says South Africa’s justice system has let them down.

By letting Dwani go without giving evidence and facing cross examination the judge has done half a job.

The family will consider what further action to take outside South Africa.

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Families on both sides will be in the Cape Town High Court for the case that, unlike the Oscar Pistorius trial that has gripped the country since the beginning of the year, will not be televised.

Anni Dewani’s father Ashish Indocha says he’s be in court to look Shrien Dewani in the eye when he enters his plea.

The British businessman lost a four-year battle to avoid extradition to South Africa where three men are already serving sentences for Anni’s murder.

They will testify that Shrien paid to have his wife killed.

A male prostitute from London’s expected to testify that Shrien was a client who told him he was forced into marriage.

Shrien, who arrived in South Africa in April, has been held at a psychiatric hospital  in Cape Town.

The state is keeping its witness list a closely guarded secret.

But it’s unlikely they won’t call taxi driver Zola Tongo, who says he was paid by Shrien to organise his wife’s murder, and the hitmen Mziwamadoda Qwabe and Xolile Mngeni.

Shrien’s engaged Advocate Francois van Zyl who secured a plea bargain for Mark Thatcher, son of the late British premier Margaret Thatcher, when he was  charged with organising a coup in Equatorial Guinea.

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The greying accused, who fought unsuccessfully for three years to avoid extradition from Britain,  looked on calmly as he heard his trial will begin on October 6.

Judge John Hlope’s ruling follows receipt of an expert assessment of Shrien Dewani, who was extradited from Britain in April, stating that the businessman’s not mentally ill.

Dewani denies the accusation that he hired three South Africans to kill his 28-year-old Swedish bride Anni Dewani in Cape Town in November 2010.

He claimed at the time that he and his wife were hijacked during their honeymoon.

He escaped unharmed. His wife was shot dead. Her body was discovered the following day.

Three South Africans have been tried and convicted for their role in Annie Dewani’s death.

Enfuriated South Africans say Dewani used the country’s reputation for violent crime as a cover for his murder plans.

The prosecution is expected to argue that Dewani is gay and was lethally kicking back against a marriage arranged by his family.

Dewani’s defence advocate Francois van Zyl  indicated they won’t contest the ruling.

Prosecutor Rodney  de Kok says he’s pleased at the outcome.

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