Caned, lesbians who attempted to have sex in car

A LESBIAN couple who admitted to ‘trying’ to have sex in car were caned as punishment in Malaysia yesterday.

The unidentified women, aged 22 and 32, were found together last month ‘in a state of undress’ by Malaysia’s religious police in the north-east of the country, where homosexual sex is illegal.

The canings have drawn fury among human rights groups, which had urged the Malaysian courts not to go ahead with what they described as a ‘cruel and unjust’ punishment.

But after a delay of several days, the women were struck six times on their backs with a ratan cane as they sat in chairs behind closed doors in a room at court in the state of Terengganu.

They were also fined around £600 each under sharia laws against committing ‘musahaqah’ – sexual relations between women. Amnesty International called on Malaysia to repeal the laws.