A U.S. soldier convicted of abusing Iraqi inmates at Abu Ghraib prison has been sentenced to three years in prison.
A military jury issued the decision Tuesday, one day after Army Private Lynndie England was found guilty of maltreating detainees, committing an indecent act, and conspiracy.
The charges carried a maximum sentence of nine years in prison.
Earlier, at the sentencing hearing, England apologized for her actions. She blamed her boyfriend at the time, then-Specialist Charles Graner, of being the ringleader behind the abuse.
Graner is serving a 10-year prison sentence.
England became a central figure in the scandal after the discovery of photographs showing her and other soldiers humiliating prisoners. She is seen grinning, and in one picture, holding a leash around the neck of a naked prisoner.
Some information for this story provided by AP and Reuters.