A US Army sergeant who killed a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protester nearly three years ago has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Daniel Perry had been convicted&nbsp;by a Travis County jury of Garrett Foster's murder&nbsp;last month.

Perry, who has previously served in Afghanistan was working as an Uber driver when he drove his car into a swarm of BLM protesters on July 25, 2020.&nbsp;Perry claimed that he fired his .357 revolver&nbsp;at Foster after the latter&nbsp;pointed an AK-47 towards him.

The prosecutors, however, argued that witnesses on the spot said Foster never raised the weapon and that he was pushing his fiancée’s wheelchair.

The two-day sentencing hearing began on Tuesday as the prosecutors once again highlighted Perry's text messages and social media posts which showed his hostility towards the BLM movement. Meanwhile,&nbsp;Perry's colleagues from the army came in for his defence by vouching for his character.&nbsp;

“After three long years we’re finally getting justice for Garrett,” his mother, Sheila Foster, told the court.

After the conviction last month, Perry was staring at a life imprisonment sentence. His lawyers, earlier this month, moved the court seeking a fresh trial - a request which was promptly rejected.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/republican-governor-abbott-to-pardon-army-sergeant-convicted-of-killing-blm-protester-580676">ALSO READ |&nbsp;Republican governor Abbott to pardon Army sergeant convicted of killing BLM protester</a>

<h2>Abbott pushes for pardon</h2>

Notably, ever since Perry's conviction, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott has launched a mission to pardon him.&nbsp;Abbott took to Twitter last month and said Perry&nbsp;was acting in self-defence when the incident took place.

Texas has one of the strongest ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws of self-defence that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney,” wrote Abbott.&nbsp;

The Republican leader said he is requesting the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles for an expedited review of Perry. Abbott can only pardon a subject if the board recommends it.

“I have made that request and instructed the board to expedite its review. I look forward to approving the board’s pardon recommendation as soon as it hits my desk.”

Abbott also blamed Perry's conviction on&nbsp;the county’s George Soros-backed Democrat District Attorney José Garza and added that he will be reign in the 'rogue DA'.

"Additionally, I have already prioritised reining in rogue District Attorneys, and the Texas Legislature is working on laws to achieve that goal."

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE:&nbsp;

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

A US Army sergeant who killed a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protester nearly three years ago has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Daniel Perry had been convicted by a Travis County jury of Garrett Foster's murder last month.

A US Army sergeant who killed a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protester nearly three years ago has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Daniel Perry had been convicted by a Travis County jury of Garrett Foster's murder last month. Perry, who has previously served in Afghanistan was working as an Uber driver when he drove his car into a swarm of BLM protesters on July 25, 2020. Perry claimed that he fired his .357 revolver at Foster after the latter pointed an AK-47 towards him. The prosecutors, however, argued that witnesses on the spot said Foster never raised the weapon and that he was pushing his fiancée’s wheelchair. The two-day sentencing hearing began on Tuesday as the prosecutors once again highlighted Perry's text messages and social media posts which showed his hostility towards the BLM movement. Meanwhile, Perry's colleagues from the army came in for his defence by vouching for his character. “After three long years we’re finally getting justice for Garrett,” his mother, Sheila Foster, told the court. After the conviction last month, Perry was staring at a life imprisonment sentence. His lawyers, earlier this month, moved the court seeking a fresh trial - a request which was promptly rejected. ALSO READ | Republican governor Abbott to pardon Army sergeant convicted of killing BLM protester Abbott pushes for pardon Notably, ever since Perry's conviction, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott has launched a mission to pardon him. Abbott took to Twitter last month and said Perry was acting in self-defence when the incident took place. Texas has one of the strongest ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws of self-defence that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney,” wrote Abbott. The Republican leader said he is requesting the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles for an expedited review of Perry. Abbott can only pardon a subject if the board recommends it. “I have made that request and instructed the board to expedite its review. I look forward to approving the board’s pardon recommendation as soon as it hits my desk.” Abbott also blamed Perry's conviction on the county’s George Soros-backed Democrat District Attorney José Garza and added that he will be reign in the 'rogue DA'. "Additionally, I have already prioritised reining in rogue District Attorneys, and the Texas Legislature is working on laws to achieve that goal." (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

US Army sergeant convicted of killing BLM protester sentenced to 25 years in prison

Clashes erupted in Portland, Oregon, between supporters of President Donald Trump and Black Lives Matter protesters. One person was shot and killed. It wasn’t clear if the shooting was linked to fights that broke out as a caravan of about 600 vehicles was confronted by protesters in the city’s downtown.

Violent clashes erupt in Portland, one person shot dead

Australian Prime Minister said on Thursday that&nbsp;Black Lives Matter protesters should be charged if they defy advice and continue to march.

He accused them of&nbsp;putting ''the whole track back to economic recovery at risk''&nbsp;and their actions&nbsp;of delaying the ease&nbsp;of restrictions by a week while governments monitor signs of outbreaks.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-bans-anti-racism-protest-citing-coronavirus-pandemic-303653">Australia bans anti-racism protest citing coronavirus pandemic</a>

In an interview on 2GB on Thursday morning ahead of a national cabinet meeting on Friday, the prime minister said the weekend protests had interfered with the capacity of states to ease physical distancing rules, including allowing more people to attend funerals.

Echoing arguments&nbsp;from the US president, Donald Trump, Morrison also alleged the protests against deaths in custody were being ''taken over by other much more politically driven leftwing agendas, which are seeking to take advantage of these opportunities to push their political causes.''

It was a ''fair point''&nbsp;to raise issues about ''people’s treatment in custody or things like that''&nbsp;but he believed the activism needed to be kept in perspective. Australia was ''a pretty brutal place, but there was no slavery in Australia.''

It was important to be ''honest about our history'', he said, but he neglected to mention&nbsp;the exploitation of South Pacific Islanders&nbsp;brought to work on Queensland plantations, or the well-documented cases of Indigenous people being used for free labour in the pastoral industry and as household servants – a practice that began during colonial times and persisted well into the 20th century.

''We’ve got to acknowledge the positive and the negative,''&nbsp;he said. ''But, you know, I think we’ve also got to respect our history as well, and this is not a licence for people to just go nuts on this stuff.''

Morrison said given the public health risks, local activists needed to desist from further gatherings.

''I think they need to think carefully about that and again, I say don’t do it, and I’m glad that the police in New South Wales and the state government will take a strong approach on that,'' he said.

He said people defying that advice should be charged.

Australian Prime Minister said on Thursday that Black Lives Matter protesters should be charged if they defy advice and continue to march. He accused them of putting ''the whole track back to economic recovery at risk'' and their actions of delaying the ease of restrictions by a week while governments monitor signs of outbreaks.

Australian Prime Minister said on Thursday that Black Lives Matter protesters should be charged if they defy advice and continue to march. He accused them of putting ''the whole track back to economic recovery at risk'' and their actions of delaying the ease of restrictions by a week while governments monitor signs of outbreaks. Also read: Australia bans anti-racism protest citing coronavirus pandemic In an interview on 2GB on Thursday morning ahead of a national cabinet meeting on Friday, the prime minister said the weekend protests had interfered with the capacity of states to ease physical distancing rules, including allowing more people to attend funerals. Echoing arguments from the US president, Donald Trump, Morrison also alleged the protests against deaths in custody were being ''taken over by other much more politically driven leftwing agendas, which are seeking to take advantage of these opportunities to push their political causes.'' It was a ''fair point'' to raise issues about ''people’s treatment in custody or things like that'' but he believed the activism needed to be kept in perspective. Australia was ''a pretty brutal place, but there was no slavery in Australia.'' It was important to be ''honest about our history'', he said, but he neglected to mention the exploitation of South Pacific Islanders brought to work on Queensland plantations, or the well-documented cases of Indigenous people being used for free labour in the pastoral industry and as household servants – a practice that began during colonial times and persisted well into the 20th century. ''We’ve got to acknowledge the positive and the negative,'' he said. ''But, you know, I think we’ve also got to respect our history as well, and this is not a licence for people to just go nuts on this stuff.'' Morrison said given the public health risks, local activists needed to desist from further gatherings. ''I think they need to think carefully about that and again, I say don’t do it, and I’m glad that the police in New South Wales and the state government will take a strong approach on that,'' he said. He said people defying that advice should be charged.

Anti-racism protesters should be charged if they defy advice and march, says Scott Morrison