30-year sentence sought for Floyd murder convict

WASHINGTON: Prosecutors on Wednesday asked a US judge to sentence the white former police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, an unarmed Black man whose death last year sparked nationwide protests, to 30 years in prison.

Attorneys for the Minneapolis officer, Derek Chauvin, countered with a far different request - a sentence of time served and probation, claiming that their client was guilty of “an error made in good faith”.

In court documents sent ahead of the June 25 sentencing hearing, prosecutors in Minnesota called actions by the 45-year-old Chauvin an “egregious abuse” of his position.

“Defendant’s conduct was also particularly cruel,” prosecutors said.

They recalled that judge Peter Cahill had ruled there were four aggravating factors in the case, allowing him to depart from state sentencing guidelines and clearing the path for a tough sentence.

Chauvin was captured on video kneeling on the neck of the 46-year-old Floyd - suspected of using a counterfeit bill - for more than nine minutes until he passed out and died on May 25, 2020, while ignoring the victim’s pleas for air and help.

After a trial lasting several weeks, Chauvin was convicted of murder on April 20 and immediately jailed. The most serious charge that he was convicted of second-degree murder - carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.

Lawyers for Chauvin said he was seeking “a probationary sentence with an incarceration period of time served”.