A US military spokesman in Baghdad confirmed today that Lieutenant Colonel William Steele, the man who oversaw the jailing of Saddam Hussein, was sentenced to two years imprisonment.

The Court Martial found him guilty of illegally possessing documents and other charges. He was also found guilty of conduct unbecoming of an officer for a relationship he had with a female Iraqi interpreter and for disobeying an order, the spokesman, Lieutenant Curtis A Williamson, added.

Steele was in charge of the detention facility that held Saddam before his December execution.

However Steele was acquitted on the charge of aiding the enemy, for which he initially faced a possible death sentence.

Steele was also dismissed from the Army and must forfeit all pay and allowances. Prosecutors have accused him of providing improper favours to some prisoners, including the use of a cell phone.

"You heard in this courtroom, in a closed session, that he handed detainee No. 2184, an al-Qaida member in Iraq, his personal cell phone and allowed a five-minute conversation. It was the equivalent of putting an AK-47 in his hands," said Capt. Michael Rizzotti, the prosecutor, during the trial.

The 229 days Steele has already served in jail plus a 25-day "credit" will count toward his sentence, meaning he must spend another 476 days behind bars.