Muscat – According to a statement from the Public Prosecution, the court found the accused guilty of using information network and technology to publish material harmful to public order, and for publicly breaching the respect due to the judiciary in a manner that casts doubt on its integrity.

The court ruled a sentence of one year in prison and a fine of RO 1,000 for the first charge, and two years in prison for the second. The sentences were combined, with the more severe penalty of two years’ imprisonment to be enforced.

The court also ordered that the judgment be published in local newspapers and across social media platforms.

“The accused had admitted during the Public Prosecution’s investigations that he had produced the video clip showing his children in a tent pitched in the open, claiming – contrary to the truth – that he had been evicted from his home pursuant to a court order. He added that his goal in publishing the video clip was to gain people’s sympathy, stressing that he still resides in the same house from which he claimed to have been evicted, denying that he had been offered a place for auction, a fact that was actually proven by the investigations conducted in the case,” states the Public Prosecution’s notice.