Mother of six-year-old who shot teacher jailed for two years

Deja Taylor, 26, earlier said she felt responsible for the incident and apologised to the teacher

The mother of a six-year-old boy who shot his teacher in Virginia has been sentenced to two years in prison.

Deja Taylor, 26, reached a plea deal with prosecutors to lessen the sentencing which could have been more than five years.

She was charged with child neglect over the incident.

In January, her son took a gun out of her purse and brought it to school where he shot his first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner.

Ms Zwener survived the gunshot but was seriously injured. She spent nearly two weeks in the hospital, underwent five surgeries and is reportedly still recovering.

According to police records, Taylor's son told an employee at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia: "I did it. I got my mom's gun last night."

Taylor initially told investigators she had secured the weapon with a trigger lock, but police never found one.

Under the plea agreement, prosecutors and defence lawyers suggested a six-month sentence would be appropriate, but the judge imposed the longer term during a hearing on Friday.

Her lawyer, James Ellenson, said he disagreed with the sentence.

"I disagree with the judge," he told the BBC. "I think the sentence was excessive and harsh, and I don't think it accomplishes anything."

Mr Ellenson said he did not plan to appeal because the length of time a higher court would take to reconsider the sentence is likely longer than the time Taylor will eventually serve on the child neglect charge.

Taylor told the broadcaster ABC in May that she felt responsible for the incident and apologised to Zwerner. The boy has not faced charges and reportedly now attends a different school.

Ms Zwerner, meanwhile, is suing the Newport News school district for $40m (£31.4m), alleging that administrators ignored several warnings that the boy had a gun.