Saudi expat gets 6 years in jail, 600 lashes for sorcery

An Arab expatriate living in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to six years in jail and 600 lashes after being convicted of sorcery and fraud, Arab News has reported. The 40-year old foreign resident appeared before the Riyadh General Court earlier this week, accused of swindling SR550,000 (US$147,000) from a local woman by promising her a magical cure to help her hair grow, according to the daily. Police said the defendant initially asked her for SR20,000 for a herbal therapy, and that she could pay the rest of the money in installments. The complainant went to the police after the ‘magical treatment’ failed to stop her hair falling out. Upon arrest, the expatriate man had in his possession a ring, a black gemstone - which he claimed had special powers - and a list of ‘magical ingredients’.