3:56am UK, Saturday December 06, 2008

OJ Simpson has been jailed for up to 33 years for kidnapping and armed robbery.  

OJ Simpson reacts during sentencing

OJ Simpson: Not eligible for parole for six years

The former American football star will not be eligible for parole for six years.

Simpson had been found guilty by a jury in Las Vegas in October.

Before sentence was passed Simpson told the court he was sorry. He had been confused and admitted he had been stupid.

"In no way did I mean to hurt anybody, I didn't want to steal from anybody," he said. "I just wanted my personal things."

Simpson recruited five other men to help him rob two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a room at the Palace Station hotel and casino in Las Vegas on September 13 last year.

He said he was trying to reclaim items stolen from him by dealers Bruce Fromong and Alfred Beardsley.

Four of the gang with him accepted plea deals on the charges and agreed to testify for the prosecution.

The fifth man, Clarence "CJ" Stewart, 54, was his golfing friend and co-defendant in the trial and was found guilty on the same charges.

Stewart was also jailed. Lawyers for both men have said they will appeal against the convictions.

Simpson, one of the most famous American football players of his generation during a glittering 1970s career, has been in custody since his conviction.

OJ Simpson: The Charges

    Simpson was found guilty of:

    • First degree kidnap
    • Armed robbery
    • Assault with a deadly weapon
    • Coercion with a deadly weapon
    • Burglary in possession of a deadly weapon
    • Conspiracy to commit kidnapping and robbery
OJ Simpson with his lawyers in Las Vegas

The 61-year-old was found guilty 13 years to the day after he was cleared of the double murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.

The verdict shocked the world and prompted debates over the racial elements of the case.

Judge Jackie Glass told Simpson she had "respect" for that acquittal and said her role was not to invoke "retribution or payback".

Outside the court, Ronald Goldman's father Fred said: "We're thrilled. It's a bitter-sweet moment that that SOB will be in jail for a long time."

Simpson was subsequently found liable for the deaths in a civil suit and was ordered to pay damages to the victims' families.

However, the former actor has repeatedly said he will not pay the settlement.