MUSCAT : An Omani court has sentenced an expatriate man to imprisonment, fines and deportation after convicting him of distributing obscene material through information technology means and harassing a woman in a manner that violated her modesty.

According to the Public Prosecution, the Court of First Instance in Al Suwaiq found the defendant, an Arab national identified as Ali Bayoumi, guilty of using social media platforms to send obscene images and messages to a woman.

The court sentenced him to six months in prison and imposed a fine of RO500 for the offence of distributing obscene material. For the second offence of harassing a woman in a way that violated her modesty, he was sentenced to three months in prison and fined RO100.

The court ordered that the harsher sentence be enforced and directed that the convicted individual be deported from the Sultanate after serving his sentence. The ruling will also be published.

The Public Prosecution said investigations revealed that the man repeatedly contacted the victim through social media, sending explicit images and messages containing offensive language that infringed on her dignity and violated public morals and societal values.

Following the completion of investigations, the case was referred to the competent court, which issued the judgment. The Public Prosecution reiterated its commitment to combating cybercrimes and protecting individuals from online abuse and harassment.

For all the latest news from Oman and GCC, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube page, which is updated daily.