A Los Angeles Police Department 18-year veteran was handed a three-year jail term Thursday, six weeks after being found guilty of striking a handcuffed female suspect in the crotch and throat. Much of the 2012 incident was captured on a police cruiser's dashcam.

Officer Mary O'Callaghan, was convicted of felony assault under the color of authority. The 35-year-old victim, Alesia Thomas, died later that July evening. The medical examiner concluded that cocaine intoxication was a "major factor" in the death of the Los Angeles mother of two, so the officer was not charged in connection to the woman's death.

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During the Thursday sentencing hearing, the victim's mother, Sandra Thomas, said from the witness stand that "I have asked God to help me learn how to forgive her."

The 50-year-old officer, a mother of three, cried when it was her turn to address the judge. "Mother to mother, I am extremely sorry for the loss of your daughter," she said.

Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta suspended 20 months from the 36-month sentence. With good behavior, that means the officer could be released in five months.

The dashcam video sealed the case, jurors said after convicting the officer in June. "It played a big role," Deedra Garcia, the jury forewoman, told reporters at the time. "It gave us a lot of evidence."

The LAPD is in the process of outfitting 7,000 officers with body cams.