Donald Trump sentenced in historic case as he formally becomes a convicted felon

A judge has just sentenced US President-elect Donald Trump in his hush-money case this afternoon (10 January).

With Trump 10 days from inauguration, Judge Juan M Merchan has handed him a no-penalty sentence called an unconditional discharge, and prosecutors are not opposing it.

That means no jail time, no probation and no fines will be imposed.

When handing down Trump's sentence, Judge Merchan noted that it was influenced by Trump’s recent presidential election victory, saying: "It was the citizenry of this nation that recently decided that once again you should have the benefits of those protections which include, among other things, the supremacy clause and presidential immunity. It is through that lens and that reality that this court must determine a lawful sentence.

"This court has determined that the only lawful sentence that permits entry of judgment of conviction, without encroaching on the highest office of the land is unconditional discharge.

"Therefore, at this time, I impose that sentence to cover all 34 counts."

Merchan concluded: "I wish you godspeed as you assume your second term in office."

Judge Merchan could have sentenced the 78-year-old to up to four years in prison but, instead, he decided on a sentence that sidestepped thorny constitutional issues by effectively ending the case, but assured that Mr Trump will become the first person convicted of a felony to assume the presidency.

Trump said his criminal trial and conviction has 'been a very terrible experience' and insisted he committed no crime as he appeared virtually on Friday to be sentenced.

Donald Trump is now the first person convicted of a felony to assume the presidency (Scott Olson / Staff / Getty Images)

The hush money case accused Trump of fudging his business records to veil a $130,000 (£105,000) payoff to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

She was paid, late in Trump’s 2016 campaign, not to tell the public about a sexual encounter she maintains the two had a decade earlier.

He says nothing sexual happened between them, and he contends that his political adversaries spun up a bogus prosecution to try to damage him.

"I never falsified business records. It is a fake, made up charge," the Republican president-elect wrote on his Truth Social platform last week.

Trump initially faced three other charges - including conspiracy to defraud the US and conspiracy against the rights of citizens following the 6 January riots of 2021, along with taking classified documents out of the White House.

The two federal cases against him have been dismissed, while a case in Georgia accusing him of interfering in the results of the 2020 Presidential election has been indefinitely paused.