US soldier gets 27 months for Iraq atrocity

March 22, 2007
US soldier gets 27 months for Iraq atrocity

WASHINGTON: A US soldier has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for being an accessory to the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in Iraq and the killing of her family, the US military said.

Private First Class Bryan Howard, 19, was sentenced at Fort Campbell, Kentucky on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to the accessory charge as well as conspiracy to obstruct justice, the military said in a statement.

Murder and rape charges against Howard were dropped 'based on his limited role in the crimes,' the military said.

The court concluded that Howard had overheard his friends planning the crime and then lied to protect them, the Houston Chronicle reported.