JAIL TERM: MICHAEL JACKSON'S DOCTOR TO SERVE LESS THAN 2 YEARS

Prosecutors in Los Angeles are preparing a legal fight to have Dr Conrad Murray sent to higher category prison for killing Michael Jackson.

District Attorney Steve Cooley said he is considering an appeal after Murray was ordered to serve his sentence for involuntary manslaughter in a county jail. That is the result of a new law in California which keeps those convicted of certain non-violent offences out of the state's over-crowded prison system. They would usually expect to serve half of their sentence.

Mr Cooley is angry that Murray might serve less than two years of the four-year sentence handed to him.

Murray had been convicted earlier this month of killing Jackson through criminal negligence, giving him a dose of the hospital anaesthetic propofol and failing to monitor him properly or raise the alarm quickly enough.

Judge Michael Pastor was withering in his condemnation of Murray. He said: 'Dr Murray created a set of circumstances and became involved in a cycle of horrible medicine. One can't help but to be offended by the circumstances of this case.' He was also critical of the doctor's participation in the television documentary in which Murray said he felt 'entrapped' by Jackson and blamed the star for his own death.

The judge said: 'Yipes! Talk about blaming the victim. Not only isn't there any remorse, there's umbrage and outrage on the part of Dr Murray against the decedent.'

Murray's lawyers were furious at some of the judge's comments, calling him 'openly hostile', and are preparing their own appeal.

Murray had been hired by Jackson for his comeback shows in London but had pressured the doctor to find ways to help him sleep during the rehearsal period. Jackson's estate issued a statement praising the sentence.