11/11/2011

US Soldier Convicted Of Civilian Murder Gets Eight Years

A US army sergeant has been sentenced to just eight years despite being convicted on 15 counts of murdering unarmed civilians and cutting body parts from their bodies as trophies.

Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs, 26, who has been pictured smiling over a pleading and bloodied youth, was not given the automatic life sentence expected, and instead will be eligible for parole in eight and a half years.

The court heard that Gibbs was the leader of a brutal 'Kill Team', that took fingers from the corpses of their victims in Afghanistan's south.

The verdict and sentence marked the culmination of an 18-month investigation of atrocities carried out by US military personnel committing during a decade of war in Afghanistan.

Pentagon officials have said the misconduct exposed by the case, which evolved from a probe of drug abuse within Gibbs' infantry unit, damaged the US image around the globe.

His civilian lawyer, Phillip Stackhouse, asked the panel for leniency in its parole decision, saying Gibbs had ample time for reflection during his pre-trial confinement and "is not the same person he was when he went to Afghanistan".

Photographs entered as evidence in the case showed Gibbs and other soldiers laughing while posing with bloodied Afghan corpses.

(DW)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

03 February 2011
Appeal Eight Years On From Muller Murder
Eight years on from the murder of artist Margaret Muller, detectives are continuing to appeal for assistance and are offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and prosecution of the person responsible.
08 June 2006
Sentence increased for baby rapist
A man who raped a 12-week-old baby girl has had his minimum jail term increased from six years to eight years by the Court of Appeal.
02 May 2014
Clifford Jailed For Eight Years For Indecent Assaults
Publicist Max Clifford has been sentenced to eight years in prison for a string of indecent assaults. Judge Anthony Leonard said he must serve at least half of his sentence. Clifford, 71, was found guilty of eight counts of indecent assault against four women aged between 15 and 19.
26 April 2013
Godolphin Trainer Banned For Eight Years
Godolphin racehorse trainer, Mahmood al Zarooni, has been banned for eight years after admitting to doping offences. Following a disciplinary panel hearing in London, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) also confirmed that fifteen of Mr al Zarooni's horses have been suspended from running for a six-month period.
30 June 2010
Accountant Gets Eight Years To Count Cost
A London accountant has been jailed for eight years for stealing £11m in income tax and Value Added Tax (VAT) by manipulating both his clients' and his own tax returns.