Abu Ghraib jail abuse leader convicted

US soldier Charles Graner was found guilty and faces 17-yr jail term. Pics

Army Spc Charles Graner Jr, the reputed ringleader of a band of rogue guards at Abu Ghraib, was convicted of abusing Iraqi detainees in a case that sparked international outrage when photographs were released showing reservists gleefully torturing and sexually humiliating prisoners.

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Graner, the first soldier to be tried on charges arising from the scandal, was convicted on Friday of all five charges and faces up to 17-and-a-half years behind bars.

The jury took less than five hours to reach the verdict.

The verdict came after a five-day trial in which prosecutors depicted Graner as a sadistic soldier who took great pleasure in seeing detainees suffer.

He was accused of stacking naked prisoners in a human pyramid and later ordering them to masturbate, while other soldiers took photographs.