Doney, 31, was aboard HMAS Melville in Dec. 2006, when the Royal Australian Navy ship was on a stopover in New Caledonia.
He was arrested in relation to the death of a 79-year-old woman, Lysiane Mille, whose body was found at her Nouméa residence.
The charge of unintentional and unpremeditated manslaughter came after the accused appeared before local authorities in the French Pacific territory.
During Doney’s two-day trial, his lawyer Laurent Aguila argued that his client should be deemed irresponsible for the death of the victim, based on medical and psychological evidence showing that the seaman did not realize what he was doing.
“If inebriation amounts to irresponsibility, then all tribunals around the world should be closed,” the public prosecutor told the court.
The prosecution requested a 15-year jail sentence.
