A Cairo criminal court sentenced a police officer on Monday to 15 years in prison for shooting dead a suspect in detention.

Prosecution investigations showed that the police officer, Ahmed El-Tayyeb, had had previous conflicts with the deceased man, lawyer Mohamed Khalil.

El-Tayyeb saw Khalil entering Imbaba Police Station in April to post bail for a suspect, so he arrested him, prosecutors said.

The police officer accompanied the lawyer to a detention cell, where a fistfight broke out between the two, resulting in the police officer killing the lawyer by shooting him in the chest, stomach and back.

The prosecution also stated that the deceased had been subject to an arrest warrant for charges of rioting and protesting without a permit.