A court in Equatorial Guinea convicted former British officer Simon Mann on July 7 of being the key player in a failed 2004 coup plot in the Central African nation, and sentenced him to 34 years and four months in prison.

Judge Carlos Mangue upbraided the 55-year-old Briton, saying he "had failed to show an attitude of regret" despite his apology before the court. To underline his point, the judge gave Mann a prison sentence four years longer than the prosecution had asked for.

During the trial, Mann acknowledged that he knowingly took part in the attempt to topple the government. His lawyer, however, argued that Mann was a secondary player and not the author of the botched 2004 coup try.