RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct 24 (Reuters) - A Brazilian court sentenced a
                  former civil servant to 54 years in jail for the abduction and killing of three
                  street children, Globo TV Network said on Saturday.

                  Eduardo Alves Salgado, a former employee of the Traffic Department in the
                  state of Minas Gerais, abducted the three children from the centre of the
                  state capital Belo Horizonte in March 1996, Globo said.

                  After binding their hands, he shot them each in the head and dumped their
                  bodies in a forest on the city's outskirts where they were later discovered.
                  Officials were not available for comment.

                  Salgado was arrested and detained two months later after he was identified
                  by a teenage witness to the shootings who escaped from the scene, Globo
                  said.

                  Homeless children sleeping on the streets is a common sight in many
                  Brazilian cities.

                  Copyright 1998 Reuters Limited.