A THREE-YEAR-OLD Egyptian boy has been sentenced to life in prison for a crime he allegedly committed when he was 16 months old.

In what appears to be a bizarre case of mistaken identity, a military court last week found Ahmed Mansour Qorany Sharara – and 115 others – guilty of killing three people and sabotaging public and private property, CNN said.

The crimes allegedly took place during a January 2014 protest by supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsy and ensuing clashes in the southern province of Fayyoum, according to a statement by the Egyptian military.

Ahmed was 16 months old when the demonstration took place. He was just a little over three years old when the military court sentenced him to life last week.

The boy was also sentenced to additional three years for related charges by a civilian misdemeanor court.