A court in Jeddah has sentenced a handbag thief to two years in prison and 1,000 lashes of the whip. The convicted man, a Saudi in his twenties, was caught in a shopping center and said that he resorted to the practice after being unable to find work. He said that he intends to appeal the verdict which was announced Sunday. The General Appeals Court in Jeddah has meanwhile upheld the sentences of two Ethiopian ladies convicted for drinking and distributing the locally produced araq alcoholic beverage. The women were given 10 and four months' prison and 250 and 150 lashes and will be deported upon completion of their sentences. The Appeals Court also upheld a sentence of two month's prison for a Bangladeshi man charged with fixing prices on a gasoline station pump.
