Five men are jailed and face being caned for 'attempting gay sex in Malaysia

Five men have been jailed, fined over £900 and face being caned after they were sentenced today for homosexuality in Malaysia.

The Selangor Shariah High Court, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, jailed them on Thursday for 'attempting intercourse against the order of nature', the Harian Metro reported.  

Sodomy and same-sex acts are illegal under Islamic law in Muslim-majority Malaysia, although convictions are rare.

Four of the men were jailed for six months, ordered to pay £900 and be lashed six times by cane. A fifth man was jailed for seven months, ordered to pay £920 and also faces six strokes of the cane for the same offence.

Islamic enforcement officers detained the five accused with seven other men during a November 2018 raid on a two-storey apartment, Harian Metro reported, citing judge Mohamad Asri Mohamad Tahir.