Saturday, January 15 2005 11:38 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: A military jury found a US soldier guilty of abusing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison, the first such conviction stemming from the scandal, which shocked the world after photographs of detainees being ill-treated came to light.

The 10-member jury in Fort Hood, Texas, convicted Charles A Graner Jr, 36, for five counts of assault, maltreatment and conspiracy in connection with the beating and humiliation of detainees at the Iraqi prison yesterday (Jan 14, 2005).

He now faces up to 15 years in a military prison.

The jury spent less than five hours deliberating and rejected Graner's defence that he was just following orders.

Graner, one of the key persons accused in the case, had been charged with hitting inmates with steel rod and forcing naked men to simulate sexual acts.

Photographs of the abuse were published by news organisations, sparking worldwide outrage and sullied US' image.

Graner stood in attention and looked straight ahead, showing no emotion, as the verdict was announced. His parents, Irma Graner and Charles Graner Sr, hugged each other tightly on the spectator bench of the military courtroom.

A prison guard from Uniontown, Garner was, however, acquitted of some of the specific allegations within the charges. The scandal had embarrassed the White House with President George W Bush terming it as "a stain on our country's honour". Bush and Defense Secretary Donald H Rumsfeld said that the abuses were strictly the fault of a small group of "rogue" soldiers at the prison.