Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The Court of Appeals upheld a verdict issued by a lower court sentencing a man to six months' imprisonment, 75 lashes and publishing his apology in two newspapers for defaming his ex-wife. A source at Jeddah Criminal Court said the court heard the case against the man who kept calling his ex-wife at her workplace to yell profanities at her and falsely accuse her of infidelity. "The woman filed a lawsuit against her ex-husband stating that he would call the hotel where she worked in and yell profanities at her. He would also call her co-workers to spread false rumors about her in an attempt to defame her," said the source. The source said the plaintiff had voice recordings of the phone calls made by the defendant. "The voice recordings confirmed her allegations and also revealed that he had threatened her and threatened to report the hotel to the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities," said the source. He said the defendant confirmed that the person yelling profanities in the voice recording was him. "The defendant was forcibly brought into court to confirm the identity of the person in the recordings. The defendant was angry that the hotel agreed to release the recordings without his permission. The court clarified that he has the right to sue the hotel in a separate case if he wishes," said the source. The defendant told the court that he and his ex-wife were in a custody battle over their son. "The defendant said he never meant to defame his wife but he does admit to the profanities he said. The judge hearing the case had sent the couple to the reconciliation committee in an attempt to consolidate their relationship. The committee replied that the situation cannot be amended and that the ex-husband needs to face penalties for his crime," said the source.
