Egypt nightie stunt police jailed

Campaigners say torture is rife in Egyptian police stations

An Egyptian court has jailed three police officers for beating a prisoner and forcing him to parade down a busy street wearing women's underclothes.

Senior officer Maj Yosri Ahmed Issa was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of torture.

The court heard that Ibrahim Abbas was made to walk along busy streets in Alexandria dressed in a nightgown.

The victim also claimed he had been beaten with batons at a police station in the Mediterranean port city.

Human rights groups say police brutality is widespread in Egypt. However, the authorities deny it is systematic and insist they prosecute all cases where there is evidence of torture.

Judicial officials say Mr Abbas's ordeal began when he asked Maj Issa to move his car to give other cars access to the car park where he worked.

The officer had him arrested and then attempted to force the victim to confess to a robbery, officials say.

The two other officers were given one-year sentences for degrading the prisoner.