The sole surviving member of a 32-strong team of militants who stormed a school in North Ossetia in 2004 has been sentenced to life in jail.

Relatives hurled abuse at Nur-Pashi Kulayev, who called the evidence against him a "fairy tale", and some even tried to attack him as he was led away.

The sentence was a small comfort to relatives, some of whom had called for the death penalty to be imposed.

Many of the families, who showed pictures to the press after the hearing, feel the authorities share some of the blame.

The strain showed as tussles broke out between relatives upon hearing of the sentence - and of one prosecutor's view that authorities had not acted negligently.

Most of the 330 victims of the Chechen militants were children.

The school gymnasium where for three days the hostages were held is a shrine to those who perished.

Light floods into the gym, which lost its roof as the hostage crisis reached its explosive, bloody climax.

Correspondents say this conviction is unlikely to be enough to help Beslan's residents, still haunted by the tragedy, move on.

Fatima Murtatov, left, and her three children were hostages who survived. But now she cannot bear to let them attend their graduation ceremonies.