Five men, including four policemen, have been jailed for life in Bahrain for gang-raping a Thai woman.

Two other men were jailed for 15 years each by the High Criminal Court yesterday after their charges were reduced to sexual assault, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

However, the same two were jailed for an additional 12 months each for theft for stealing the victim's mobile phone.

All of the defendants appeared in court to hear the verdict yesterday.

Judges handed down life sentences - the equivalent of 25 years behind bars - after hearing that the 28-year-old woman agreed to have sex with one of the defendants for BD40 ($103.7) after getting into a car outside a hotel in Juffair.

However, she said six other men were waiting when they reached the apartment - where she was held against her will and gang-raped before being dumped in Ras Ruman.

One of her friends took her to hospital and the medical examiner's final report confirmed that she was raped.

All of the suspects, aged between 20 and 34, confessed to the attack during questioning at the Public Prosecution, but later pleaded not guilty in court.

The victim said that she attempted to run away, but was pushed to the ground as the defendants ganged up and raped her.

She said that she was beaten if she stopped having sex and tried calling for help, but nobody came to her aid. - TradeArabia News Service