Saudi Gazette report QATIF — The District Court in Qatif governorate jailed a man and his accomplice on Wednesday for publishing his ex-wife's photos on the messaging application WhatsApp and through a circular email, Al-Yaum daily reported on Thursday. The pair will also be lashed after they were convicted of distributing the victim's picture after she divorced her husband. The court sentenced the ex-husband to six months in jail, 80 lashes and fined him SR20,000. The ex-husband's accomplice was sentenced to four months in jail, a SR15,000 fine and 80 lashes. The fines will go to the Ministry of Finance for public spending. The two defendants indicated they would appeal the verdicts, while the Prosecutor General also said he would push for harsher sentences. Both parties have 30 days to present their appeal. The woman had accused her ex-husband of distributing her pictures as an act of revenge after she asked for a divorce. She also accused him of stealing cash from her. The woman contacted police before going to the courts. She presented evidence against her ex-husband, who was working in a bank. The woman said she had a SIM card on which threatening messages were sent by her ex-husband from his mobile phone plus voice recordings of several people connected to the case. A person related to her ex-husband came to the woman to persuade her to drop the case. The judge heard three witnesses who confirmed that they received pictures of the woman and her daughter on their mobiles. The woman said the Appeals Court in the Eastern Province forced her ex-husband to return SR42,000 which he borrowed from her but did not pay back. The ex-husband used to come and wait in front of the victim's house almost every day, the court heard. The woman said she was surprised that her pictures were distributed on WhatsApp from unknown numbers. She suspected her ex-husband because it was only he who had those pictures.
