A Russian policeman who won fame for posting a YouTube video complaining of police corruption was found guilty yesterday of libelling his former bosses, news agencies reported.

Alexei Dymovsky, a former senior investigator in the southern Russian city of Novorossiisk, became an internet sensation in November when he posted a video alleging chronic corruption in his force.

In the video - a rare public complaint by a Russian policeman - Mr Dymovsky decried his working conditions, said officers were treated "like cattle" and asked to meet with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

A district court in Novorossiisk yesterday ordered him to give a public apology and pay 100,000 rubles ($3,384) in damages to two city police chiefs, Russian news agencies reported.

In a separate case that re-mains under investigation, Mr Dymovsky has also been charged with fraud linked to abuse of office, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of six years in jail.

Mr Dymovsky says officials have accused him of misappropriating around 24,000 rubles ($800) over four years and has described the investigation as retaliation for his YouTube video.

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