OJ Simpson has started a jail term of up to 33 years for kidnapping and armed robbery. The former American football star, who will serve at least nine years, recruited five other men to help him rob two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel room on September 13th last year, a jury at Clark County District Court found.
Simpson, 61, appeared close to tears as he made an emotional plea for mercy but Judge Jackie Glass said he knew what he was doing and insisted his actions amounted to "much more than stupidity". He was convicted of all 12 charges he faced in October after more than 13 continuous hours of jury deliberations - 13 years to the day after he was cleared of double murder in America's "trial of the century".
"I'm not here to cause any retribution or payback for anything else," Judge Glass said.
"As the judge in this case, I'm not here to sentence Mr Simpson for what's happened in his life previously in the criminal justice system."
She said she had great respect for the system, was part of it herself, and added: "I have to respect what happened in the case 13 years ago with Mr Simpson: the jury decided. There are many people who disagree with that verdict, but that doesn't matter to me."
The judge told Simpson: "You went to the room, you took guns... you used force, you took property... and in this state that amounts to robbery with use of a deadly weapon."
Earlier, in a quiet voice, Simpson apologised for his stupidity and told the judge it was "the first time I had the opportunity to catch the guys red-handed who'd been stealing from my family".
"I stand before you today. I'm sorry, somewhat confused," he said in an emotional statement during the sentencing hearing.
Wearing a dark blue jail uniform, he said he knew the victims - memorabilia dealers Bruce Fromong and Alfred Beardsley - and had no hatred towards them.