An Indian court has sentenced a police volunteer to life in prison after finding him guilty in the rape and killing of a trainee doctor last year.

The police had sought the death penalty in a horrific but familiar crime. Its handling by the local authorities had outraged the nation.

A court in the Indian city of Kolkata on Monday sentenced to life imprisonment the main accused in the rape and murder of a doctor inside a hospital, a case that sparked protests and paralyzed medical services in the country as a demand for job security for health professionals.

An Indian court has sentenced a police volunteer to life in prison after finding him guilty of the rape and killing of a trainee doctor last year. The crime sparked nationwide protests over inadequate safety for women and led to a swift trial in the country’s slow-moving justice system.

Police volunteer Sanjay Roy, 33, who has consistently maintained his innocence, can appeal the judgment in a higher court.