MONTREAL _ A man who gunned down a female police officer through his apartment door was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison with no chance of parole for 12 years.

Francois Pepin, 42, reached a plea bargain with the Crown that saw him plead guilty to second-degree murder instead of facing a trial on first-degree murder.

Pepin's trial for killing Laval police Const. Valerie Gignac was set to begin in two weeks.

Gignac, 25, died Dec. 14, 2005, while responding to a routine call about a man making noise at an apartment building in Laval, north of Montreal.

Pepin's lawyer, Robert La Haye, said his client was in a bad mental state when he shot Gignac.

``He was in a big psychological black hole,'' La Haye told reporters after the court hearing.

``He shot through the door without having the judgment to evaluate the consequences of what he was doing.

``He immediately regretted the gesture. He absolutely didn't want to shoot anyone.''

The murder of a police officer usually brings a first-degree murder charge, with parole eligibility set for 25 years after a conviction.

Pepin, who has a history of mental problems, admitted in a TV interview he shot the officer through the door of his apartment.

Crown prosecutor Louis Bouthillier acknowledged Pepin's mental problems.

He noted one disturbing element in the case was Pepin's possession of high-powered rifles, despite a court order he not own weapons.

Pepin was under the order because of previous charges of harassment and uttering death threats.

Gignac's parents, brother, sister and boyfriend gave victim-impact statements in Wednesday's hearing© 2008 The Canadian Press