Mubarak avoids the gallows for slaying protesters

FORMER Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak may have suffered a heart attack on his way to a prison hospital after being sentenced to life in prison for conspiring to kill hundreds of protesters. Mubarak, 84, was found guilty after a nine-month trial in Cairo during which he was wheeled into court on a stretcher. State television and the official news agency report that Mubarak, 84, suffered "a health crisis" while aboard the helicopter that ferried him to Torah prison hospital from the court hearing. It was earlier reported that Mubarak cried and refused to leave the helicopter. Mubarak could have faced the gallows for his role in ordering the deaths of some of the estimated 850 people killed during the uprising last year. Judge Ahmed Rifaat delivered a strongly worded statement before handing down the sentences. Rifaat described Mubarak's era as "30 years of darkness" and "a darkened nightmare" that ended only when Egyptians rose up to demand change. "They peacefully demanded democracy from rulers who held tight grip on power," the judge said. Rifaat, who was presiding over his last court session before he retires, said Mubarak and el-Adly did not act to stop the killings during 18 days of mass protests that were met by a deadly crackdown of security forces on unarmed demonstrators. More than 850 protesters were killed, most shot to death, in Cairo and other major cities. "We will appeal. The ruling is full of legal flaws from every angle," Yasser Bahr, a senior member of Mubarak's defence said. Asked if Mubarak was likely to win the appeal, Mr Bahr said: "We will win, one million per cent." Relatives of victims celebrated outside the court in the Egyptian capital after the verdicts were announced at around 10.25am local time (6.25pm AEST), while others chanted "void, void" and "the people want the judiciary purged" as clashes erupted outside the court. Police used stun grenades to control the crowds. Lawyers inside the courtroom were furious over the acquittals and said they feared that Mubarak and Adly would be found innocent on appeal. The former strongman, wearing dark classes and a beige tracksuit, showed no emotion as Judge Ahmed Refaat read out the sentence. His two sons, Alaa and Gamal, looking tired with dark circles under their eyes, appeared close to tears on hearing the verdict. Prosecutors argued that the then-president ordered the violent crackdown that led to the deaths of 225 protesters in Cairo, Suez and Alexandria between January 25 and 31 last year. His former interior minister, Habib al Adly, also was sentenced to life for his involvement in the killings. He was in charge of police who used live ammunition on protesters. Six former police commanders were acquitted of all charges, and corruption charges against Mubarak's two sons were dropped. There were violent clashes inside the courtroom after the verdicts were announced, with at least one person seen bleeding from the neck. Riot police were on standby outside the court building over fears of further protests if Mubarak and the other defendants were cleared or received lenient sentences. Mubarak's verdict came just days after presidential elections have been boiled down to a June 16-17 contest between Mubarak's last prime minister, one-time protege Ahmed Shafiq, and Mubarak's top foe, a Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Morsi. The former dictator was held in a military-run hospital throughout the case and flown to the court building by helicopter.