George Floyd killer jailed for 22 years

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison for the murder of George Floyd.

Chauvin, 45, arrested Mr Floyd in May 2020 on suspicion of attempting to pass a counterfeit $20 note.

He then then knelt on the 46-year-old's neck until his life was extinguished, despite the victim's plea for a breath.

It sparked a worldwide movement against institutionalised racism.

The punishment handed out today (Friday) fell short of the 30 years that prosecutors had requested.

With good behaviour, Chauvin could be paroled after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years.

Prosecutor Matthew Frank asked the judge to exceed sentencing guidelines and give Chauvin 30 years in prison, saying "tortured is the right word'' for what the officer did to Floyd.

"This is not a momentary gunshot, punch to the face. This is nine-and-a-half minutes of cruelty to a man who was helpless and just begging for his life,'' Mr Frank said.

Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Floyd's neck for about nine-and-a-half minutes as the black man said he could not breathe and went limp.

Bystander video of Floyd's arrest for suspicion of passing a counterfeit 20 US dollar bill prompted protests around the world and a nationwide reckoning on race and police brutality.

Under Minnesota statutes, Chauvin was sentenced only on the most serious charge, which has a maximum sentence of 40 years. But case law dictates that a 30-year sentence would be the practical maximum sentence Judge Peter Cahill could impose without risk of being overturned on appeal.

Prosecutors asked for 30 years, saying Chauvin's actions were egregious and "shocked the nation's conscience.''

Defence attorney Eric Nelson requested probation, saying Chauvin was the product of a "broken'' system and "believed he was doing his job''.

Judge Cahill has already found that aggravating factors in Floyd's death warrant going higher than the 12-and-a-half year sentence recommended by the state's sentencing guidelines.

The judge found Chauvin abused his position of authority, treated Floyd with particular cruelty, and that the crime was seen by several children. He also wrote that Chauvin knew the restraint of Floyd was dangerous.

"The prolonged use of this technique was particularly egregious in that George Floyd made it clear he was unable to breathe and expressed the view that he was dying as a result of the officers' restraint,'' Judge Cahill wrote last month.

Chauvin has been held since his conviction at the state's only maximum security prison, in Oak Park Heights.

The former officer is held away from the general population for his safety, in a 10-by-10-foot cell, with meals brought to his room. He is allowed out for solitary exercise for an hour a day.

It is not clear if Chauvin will remain there. State prisons officials said that decision would not be made until after Cahill's formal sentencing order.

Chauvin and the three other officers involved in Floyd's arrest are awaiting trial in federal court on charges of violating Floyd's civil rights. No trial date has been set.

The three other officers are also scheduled for trial in March on state charges of aiding and abetting both murder and manslaughter.