Related: England convicted for Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse

Lynndie England leaves the courthouse at Fort Hood, Texas, September 26, 2005 after being convicted on charges stemming from her involvement in the Iraq Abu Ghraib prison scandal (Xinhua/Reuters)

    BEIJING, Sep. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Lynndie England, a female US Army reservist involved in mistreating prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, was sentenced on Tuesday to three years in prison and given a dishonorable discharge.

    In sentencing testimony just hours before, England, who had faced a maximum nine years behind bars, apologized for her actions and said she remained an American patriot, Reuters reported.

    "After the photos were released, I've heard that attacks were made on US armed forces because of them," she said.

    "I apologize to coalition forces and all the families," England told the jury of five officers, also apologizing to "detainees, the families, America and all the soldiers."

    By contrast, Graner, who is serving a 10-year sentence for abuses at the prison outside Baghdad, did not show any repentance earlier in the day and said he was acting on behalf of U.S. military intelligence.

    "Sir, I nearly beat a military intelligence detainee to death with military intelligence there," Graner, 37, told the court. "We treated each military detainee specifically on how the handler wanted."

    England's trial was the last of nine Army reservists charged with abusing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib in 2003.

    The prisoner abuse scandal was made public in late April last year, and brought worldwide condemnation on the United States. England became the public face of the scandal after photographs showing her holding a leash attached to a naked prisoner were published.

    Army reserve brigadier general Janis Karpinski and military intelligence officer colonel Thomas Pappas were punished in nonjudicial proceedings, but no officers have been tried for the scandal so far. Enditem

    (Agencies)