LAST UPDATE | 25 Jun 2021

FORMER POLICEMAN DEREK Chauvin has been jailed for 22-and-a-half years for the murder of African American man George Floyd.

The sentence will be reduced to 22 years and three months, discounting 90 days he has already spent in prison. 

Judge Peter Cahil said this sentence is not based on “emotion or sympathy”, but he acknowledged the “deep and tremendous pain that all the families are feeling”, particularly the Floyd family. 

He said the sentence was also not based on public opinion. 

Minnesota law provides for a minimum sentence of 12.5 years for the white, 45-year-old man who was convicted on three counts of murder and manslaughter two months ago.

Chauvin could have been jailed for 30 years. Floyd’s family had asked for the maximum punishment for Chauvin.

“On behalf of me and my family, we seek the maximum penalty. We don’t want to see no more slaps on the wrist. We’ve been through that already,” said Terrence Floyd, one of Floyd’s brothers.

Judge Peter Cahil had identified aggravating circumstances that signalled a much heavier punishment.

He said Chauvin had “abused his position of trust and authority,” treated Floyd with “particular cruelty” in front of minors and “committed the crime as a group with the active participation of at least three other” officers.

Chauvin made a short statement in court in which he said he wanted to “give my condolences to the Floyd family”.

“There’s going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest and I hope things will give you some peace of mind,” he added.

Earlier, Chauvin’s mother Carolyn Pawlenty described her son as “a good man,” insisting he was innocent.

Floyd’s seven-year-old daughter said she wishes she could tell her late father that “I miss you and I love you”.

Gianna Floyd’s video interview was played in court today during the sentencing hearing of Chauvin.

US President Joe Biden said that the jail sentence handed down to Chauvin was “appropriate.”

“I don’t know all the circumstances that were considered but it seems to me, under the guidelines, that seems to be appropriate,” Biden said.

Chauvin and three colleagues arrested Floyd (46) in May last year on suspicion of having passed a fake $20 bill in a store in Minneapolis, a northern city of around 420,000 people. They handcuffed him and pinned him to the ground in the middle of the street.

Chauvin then knelt on the back of Floyd’s neck for nearly 10 minutes, indifferent to the dying man’s groans and to the pleas of distraught passers-by.

The scene, filmed and uploaded by a young woman, quickly went viral. After weeks of home confinement due to the Covid-19 pandemic, hundreds of thousands of people poured onto streets across the country and also overseas, to demand an end to racism and police brutality.

It took weeks for the mass demonstrations to taper off, but the debate around the pressing social issues remains vivid in the United States, where President Joe Biden has been slow to come up with the police reforms he promised during his campaign.

Last night, Republican and Democratic lawmakers announced that after weeks of negotiations they had come up with “an agreement on a framework addressing the major issues for bipartisan police reform.”

“Over the next few weeks we look forward to continuing our work toward getting a finalized proposal across the finish line,” the members of Congress said in a statement.

‘Good faith’

Chauvin’s trial was closely followed by millions across the country.

The former police officer, who was present for the full six weeks of his trial, did not testify. His lawyer said he had followed police procedures in force at the time and that Floyd’s death was due to health problems exacerbated by drug use.

The jurors were not convinced and took less than 10 hours to convict. Their decision was greeted with a huge sigh of relief across the country – many had feared an acquittal would lead to worse unrest, while others feared that once again a white police officer would get away with what they saw as murder.

Ahead of the sentencing, Chauvin’s lawyer Eric Nelson pleaded that his client made “an error in good faith” and requested a reduced sentence to time already served, which would allow his client to be released immediately.

But the prosecution cited Chauvin’s “particularly cruel” conduct and called for the maximum of 30 years.

On the eve of sentencing, the judge denied the defense’s request for a new trial.

Neither will the case end with Chauvin: his three former colleagues will face trial in March 2022 on charges of complicity in homicide.

In parallel, the four men also face federal charges of violating Floyd’s constitutional rights. No date has yet been set for that trial.

Additional reporting by Orla Dwyer, AFP and Press Association.