Former Serbian military commander, "Captain Dragan", has been convicted by a Croatian court for war crimes.

An Australian citizen, Dragan Vasilkovic, has been found guilty of war crimes committed during the 1990s during the war in Croatia following its separation from Yugoslavia.

Judges of the municipal court in the city of Split sentenced former commander of the Serbian partisans Dragan Vasiljković, also known as Captain Dragan and Daniel Snedden, to 15 years in prison for war crimes, including the murder and torture of prisoners.

Vasilkovich was convicted of war crimes committed during his command of Croatian Serb rebels during the war from 1991 to 1995, when Serbs armed themselves against Croatia's secession from Yugoslavia.

62-year-old Vasilkovich, born in Serbia, moved to Australia in his youth but returned to the Balkans to train Croatian Serb rebels in 1991.

In Australia, he was a reserve serviceman and a golf instructor.

Vasilkovich was extradited from Australia in July 2015 after a 10-year legal battle against being handed over to Croatian justice.

He became the first extradited suspect in war crimes from Australia.

The three-member panel of the Croatian court found Vasilković guilty on two of the three charges, including torture and beating of police and military prisoners in Croatia, as well as commanding special forces involved in the destruction of Croatian villages.

He was held responsible for the deaths of at least two civilians.