Lawyer: Paris court hands 20-year sentence to British businessman over murder of girlfriend

British businessman Ian Griffin walks out during a break at the Paris courthouse, Friday, Dec. 5, 2014. Griffin goes on trial for the 2009 murder of his girlfriend, who was found dead in the bathtub in the room they shared at a five-star Paris hotel. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) (The Associated Press)

British businessman Ian Griffin looks on at a restaurant outside the Paris courthouse, Friday, Dec. 5, 2014. Griffin goes on trial for the 2009 murder of his girlfriend, who was found dead in the bathtub in the room they shared at a five-star Paris hotel. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) (The Associated Press)

PARIS – A lawyer says a Paris court has convicted British businessman Ian Griffin for murder over the death of his millionaire girlfriend five years ago. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Police said a maid found the battered body of 36-year-old Kinga Legg naked and badly bruised in a bathroom at the high-end Hotel Bristol, near the French presidential palace, in 2009. Legg, who ran her family's tomato-supply business, died of internal bleeding.

Guillaume Traynard, a lawyer for the family of Polish-born Legg, said the verdict came down Friday. A state prosecutor had sought a 25-year sentence.

Police said that Griffin, 45, left the hotel abruptly in his Porsche and went missing. He was later found in a tent in the woods in Britain and was extradited to France.