Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison for the murder of George Floyd.

The punishment handed out by Judge Peter Cahill fell short of the 30 years that prosecutors had requested.

READ MORE: Key events since the death of George Floyd

With good behaviour, Chauvin, 45, could be paroled after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years.

In brief remarks before sentencing, Chauvin offered condolences to Mr Floyd’s family, saying he hopes they eventually get “some peace of mind”.

Earlier, Mr Floyd’s seven-year-old daughter said she wishes she could tell her late father that “I miss you and I love you”.

The Herald: George Floyd died in May last year.George Floyd died in May last year.

Gianna Floyd’s video interview was played in court during the sentencing hearing.

She said in the victim impact statement that she believed her father was still with her in spirit and that she wants to know how he got hurt.

“We used to have dinner meals every single night before we went to bed,” she said. “My daddy always used to help me brush my teeth.”

READ MORE: Police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder

Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Mr Floyd’s neck for about nine-and-a-half minutes as he said he could not breathe and went limp.

Mr Floyd died on May 25 last year.