A former police officer from Mississippi has been given a 40-year prison term for subjecting two black men to torture in a residence.

Christian Dedmon, aged 29, is among six officers found guilty of the assault that occurred on January 24, 2023.

For their involvement in the attack, three other former officers have received a combined sentence of over 54 years behind bars.

Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker endured beatings, electric shocks from stun guns, and sexual abuse at the hands of these officers.

During the court proceedings, Mr. Jenkins, through his attorney, described Dedmon as the most depraved of his attackers.

He accused Deputy Dedmon of epitomizing the worst aspects of law enforcement in the United States, citing instances where Dedmon had planted drugs on him in an attempt to fabricate evidence.

Mr. Jenkins continues to struggle with speaking due to injuries sustained, including a gunshot wound to the mouth during a simulated execution carried out during the harrowing ordeal.

The officers had responded to a call in Braxton, Rankin County, where a neighbor reported suspicious activity involving black men at a white woman's residence.

Entering the premises without a warrant, the officers subjected Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Parker to handcuffing, physical assault, and racial taunts over ninety minutes.

U.S. District Judge Tom Lee condemned Dedmon's actions as among the most appalling, savage, and heartless attacks imaginable, not only against the two black men but also against a white man during a prior traffic stop.

Daniel Opdyke received a 17.5-year sentence just hours before Dedmon's sentencing on Wednesday.

Brett McAlpin and Joshua Hartfield, the remaining two ex-officers implicated in the case, await sentencing scheduled for Thursday.

Five are former Rankin County sheriff deputies while the sixth, Hartfield, was with the Richland police. They called themselves the Goon Squad. All of them are white.

Dedmon's family was in court, some crying and with their eyes closed as prosecutors recounted his conduct.

He apologized and said he would never forgive himself, though he did not address the victims directly like the three ex-officers before him.

During his sentencing, Opdyke wept and told the two victims that he had been reflecting on "the monster I became that night".
"The weight of my actions and the harm I've caused will haunt me every day," he said.

Hunter Elward and Jeffrey Middleton were the first to be sentenced on Tuesday.

Elward, who shot Mr Jenkins during the mock execution, was sentenced to 20 years.

Middleton, the leader of the so-called Goon Squad, was sentenced to just over 17 years.
The group pleaded guilty to federal civil rights offenses in August.

They were charged with conspiracy against rights, obstruction of justice, deprivation of rights under color of law, discharge of a firearm under a crime of violence, and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, for whom the officers were working, is facing a separate $400m (£314m) lawsuit for allegedly failing to properly train the officers.

Too bad