A Pakistan court has sentenced a Christian magician to seven years' rigorous imprisonment for tearing up a copy of Quran as part of a magic act.
The magician, Bashir Masih, 30, was charged with desecrating the holy book by a court in Multan. He can file an appeal against Wednesday's judgement within 30 days in the Lahore High Court.
Masih had been accused of being a magician-cum-exorcist and police said they caught him tearing a copy of the Quran last year. He was tried under the draconian Blasphemy Law.
He confessed to the crime, saying tearing the Quran was part of the magic he was performing.