A court in Jeddah sentenced a Saudi to eight years in prison and 1,000 lashes for allegedly selling his wife to others for money.

The man, who was also accused of publicizing prostitution through the Internet, had appealed the verdict but the appeals court upheld the lower court's judgment.

Judge Mazen Sindi announced the verdict saying the man should be put behind bars for eight years beginning from the year of his detention while the 1,000 lashes should be given in several installments with a gap of 10 days after every punishment, informed sources said.

Mazen said the tough punishment was given to the accused for spreading immorality in society.

As the man’s house was being raided by police, a call came to the defendant’s cell phone from a person who wanted to spend a night with his wife. The defendant had made a call asking a client to come to his house with SR1,000 to pay for the services.

He also told the client that he would leave the house soon after his arrival with the money. The man is also accused of using Internet chat rooms to offer his wife to others.