George Floyd murder: ex-US cop Derek Chauvin sentenced to over 22 years

Former police officer from Minneapolis in the United States, Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 22 and half years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, a 48-year-old African-American man died after Chauvin knelt on his neck for nine minutes.

Floyd's murder led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations, along with global protests against police brutality. Reading out Chavin's sentence, the judge said the sentence was based "on Chavin's abuse of a position of trust and authority, and also for the particular cruelty shown" to Floyd.

Ahead of his sentencing, Chauvin was allowed to address the court, where he apologised to George Floyd's family. Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder and other charges last month. The punishment handed out fell short of the 30 years that prosecutors had requested. During his trial, his lawyer described the killing as "an error made in good faith".

With good behavior, Chauvin, 45, could be paroled after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years.