Egypt 'wife swap' couple jailed

An Egyptian couple accused of engaging in sex sessions with other couples have been jailed by a Cairo court.

The man, a 48-year-old civil servant, was given seven years, his 37-year-old schoolteacher wife got three years.

The judge described the case as one of the worst crimes committed. But the couple's lawyer said the sentence was "very harsh" and they would appeal.

Extra-marital sex is illegal in Egypt, where the constitution says Islamic law is the main source of legislation.

The pair were arrested in October 2008 on prostitution charges after they posted adverts on the internet for couples interested in sex parties.

A long-standing law in Egypt allows people to be prosecuted for prostitution for having extra-marital sex even if no money changes hands.

'A little fun'

According to the court, the couple used the aliases Magdy and Samira to organise wife-swapping parties and orgies and admitted having sex with three other couples.

Even people accused of apostasy have not received such harsh sentences Ayman al-Saadi, couple's lawyer

However their lawyer said after the judgement that they had only confessed to "having a little fun on the internet, not to having sexual relations outside their marriage."

Ayman al-Saadi told AFP news agency the sentence passed on Saturday by a court in the suburb of Agouza was "very harsh".

"Even people accused of apostasy have not received such harsh sentences," he said.

According to Egyptian press reports at the time of their arrest, the pair interviewed some 44 couples, usually at coffee shops in central Cairo, before swapping partners.

They were said to have turned down more than 40 couples because they were not officially married, causing concern that they would not guarantee confidentiality.