CAIRO, May 22 (Reuters) - An Egyptian court sentenced four men on Wednesday to death by hanging for the 2011 killing of a Coptic Christian priest in his apartment in the southern city of Assiut, state news agency MENA reported.

The four were found guilty of killing Reverend Dauoud Peter Boules during a robbery that was aided by his maid, MENA said. The men beat and stabbed the priest to death and stole his money and some belongings.

There did not appear to be a political or religious motive behind the crime, a security source told Reuters. One of the four convicted is Christian, the source said.

One of the four was tried in absentia, while a fifth man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for assisting in the crime, MENA said.

Death penalties in Egypt are rarely carried out. (Reporting by Aly Abdelaty and Maggie Fick; Writing by Maggie Fick; Editing by Patrick Werr and Michael Roddy)