All 11 defendants were handed prison terms on Thursday for the gang rape of an 18-year-old woman in the southern German city of Freiburg, following a trial lasting more than a year.

The most severe sentence was five years and six months, the presiding judge said.

The crime took place in October 2018.

The men, most of them refugees, were aged between 18 and 30 at the time.

They were found guilty of raping the 18-year-old student in a bush in front of a club, or of not helping her, during a two and a half-hour ordeal.

They denied the allegations during the trial or refused to speak.

Prosecutors had sought custodial sentences for eight of the accused, who were held in custody for the duration of the trial.

They were seeking suspended sentences for two others for failing to assist the young woman and an acquittal for another defendant.

The defence team had called for acquittals for all 11. (Agency report)