Tou Thao, a former Minneapolis police officer who held back bystanders while other officers pinned down George Floyd, has been convicted by the court for aiding and abetting manslaughter.

Mr Thao was found guilty on Tuesday, almost three years after police officer Derek Chauvin murdered Mr Floyd on May 25, 2020.

Judge Peter Cahill said in his verdict that the former cop who waived his right to a jury trial had encouraged other officers to restrain Mr Floyd dangerously.

The 37-year-old will remain in custody until August 7 for the court’s judgement.

Mr Thao is the last among the four men found guilty. He is serving a three-and-a-half-year federal sentence for failing to offer medical help to the deceased when he pleaded for breathing air.

Prosecutors said the convicted ex-cop served as an officer for almost nine years but failed to show compassion and courage, the Minneapolis Police Department’s motto, during the killing of Mr Floyd, stressing that Mr Thao prevented concerned onlookers and an off-duty firefighter from providing medical aid to Mr Floyd.

However, the ex-cop’s lawyer, Robert Paule, claimed that Mr Thao had believed the dying Mr Floyd was going through excited delirium.