A four-year-old boy has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty on a murder charge.

Ahmed Mansour Karni wasn't in court on Tuesday when he was convicted and sentenced of the crime which it's said was committed two years ago - when he was just two-years-old.

The court in Western Cairo heard the case of Karni, who was listed as "wanted" for murder, disturbance of the peace and damaging state property.

The indictment stated the charges in full as four counts of murder, eight counts of attempted murder, vandalising property belonging to the Egyptian Health Administration in his home province of el-Fayoum, threatening soldiers and police officers and damaging vehicles belonging to security forces.

Defence lawyer Faisal a-Sayd said he believed the judge did not read the case.

"The child Ahmed Mansour Karni's birth certificate was presented after state security forces added his name to the list of accused, but then the case was transferred to the military court and the child was sentenced in absentia in an ensuing court hearing," he told The Jerusalem Post.

Lawyer Mohammed Abu Hurira said the case proved "there is no justice in Egypt... [It] is ruled by a bunch of lunatics."

The sentencing has caused anger online, with users asking how the sentencing could have occurred.

TV Technologies wrote: "Think perhaps child bears similar name of older relative?"

Amy Hawthorne added: "It is possible given reports of recent cases of judiciary sentencing people to death who were already dead."