Conrad Black, the former media magnate who once controlled an empire stretching from Vancouver to Jerusalem, was on Monday sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for his role in the multimillion-dollar fraud at Hollinger International, the newspaper group he created and controlled.

The 63-year-old Canadian-born peer was grim-faced as Judge Amy St Eve told him he had abused the trust of shareholders. “I cannot understand how somebody of your stature could engage in the conduct you engaged in and put everything at risk,” she said. “In this country, no one is above the law.”