THE HAGUE, Netherlands, July 10 (UPI) -- The International Criminal Court announced Tuesday it sentenced Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga to 14 years behind bars
In its first-ever verdict, the ICC in March found Lubanga guilty of conscripting child soldiers and using children as personal bodyguards during fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2002 to 2003.
Adrian Fulford, the presiding judge in the case, said the court considered the gravity and the "nature of the unlawful behavior" in deciding the sentence.
Girls recruiting into rebel service were used as sex slaves, raped daily by commanders and soldiers in rebel training camps, the prosecution said.
Lubanga surrendered to the court and was transferred to The Hague in 2006. The ICC said he'd be credited with time served. Fulford added that the court considered Lubanga's "notable cooperation" with the court.
Former ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo had requested a 30-year prison sentence for the former warlord as the key leader of Congolese rebel forces. Before his tenure expired last month, Ocampo said if Lubanga "seriously commits himself" to preventing future crimes, the prosecution would recommend a reduced sentence of 20 years.
