Student convicted of hacking Sarah Palin e-mail account

A jury in Tennessee has convicted a former student of hacking the e-mail account of US politician Sarah Palin, Associated Press news agency reports.

David Kernell, 22, was found guilty of obstructing justice and unauthorised access to a computer.

He faces up to 20 years in prison for the first charge and one year for the charge of hacking.

He broke into Ms Palin's e-mail account during her 2008 Republican campaign for the vice-presidency of the US.

Kernell, who was a student at the University of Tennessee at the time, was cleared of a charge of wire fraud.

The jury were unable to agree on a verdict on a charge of identity fraud, for which he could face another trial.

Kernell's lawyer had said his client's actions amounted to a college prank, rather than a crime.