WASHINGTON, March 23: A US soldier convicted of abusing detainees with his guard dog at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq was sentenced to six months in prison on Wednesday by a court martial, a military spokeswoman said. Sergeant Michael Smith, 24, also was demoted to the rank of private, fined 750 dollars pay a month for three months, and will receive a bad conduct discharge from the army, she said.

“He will be taken into custody at the courthouse and transported to the local confinement facility at Howard County (Maryland) until his orders are cut and then he will assigned to a military confinement facility,” said Shaunteh Kelly.

Sergeant Smith, who was photographed holding his unmuzzled, growling Belgian shepherd within inches of a cowering detainees, was found guilty on Tuesday of assaulting and maltreating prisoners Abu Ghraib prison in late 2003 and early 2004.

Prosecutors said Sgt Smith set the dog on prisoners for his own amusement.

He was found guilty of two counts of maltreatment involving three detainees, one count of conspiring to make detainees soil themselves, one of dereliction of duty, one of assault and one of committing an indecent act.

The charges carried a maximum penalty of eight years and nine months.

Sgt Smith was alleged to have engaged in a contest with fellow dog handler Sergeant Santos Cardona to use their military working dogs to make terrified prisoners soil themselves.

Cardona is due to stand trial on abuse charges in May.

One of the maltreatment counts involved two juvenile detainees at the jail who were threatened and harassed by growling dogs.—AFP