A Cypriot court has sentenced former ambassador to Sweden to seven months in jail for sexually harassing and indecently assaulting his secretaries in Stockholm, the first such case involving a Cypriot diplomat, the Cyprus Mail reported on Tuesday.

Nicosia's Criminal Court on Monday turned down former envoy Costas Papadimas's plea for leniency and mitigation, saying that " If it were in Britain, the offense of sexual harassment in the workplace can carry a prison sentence of up to five years."

Papadimas was found guilty last December of sexually harassing and indecently assaulting two of his secretaries in Stockholm between 2002 and 2005. But he claimed that one of the secretaries was his mistress, who made the accusations against him after he wanted to end their affair.

Reading the court's decision on Monday, the judge condemned the whole behavior of the accused as "totally reprehensible".

"His reprehensible activities and unacceptable actions have not only tarnished the good image of his homeland in the country he was serving...but also played a role in his position of authority, " said one of the three judges.

Papadimas and his defense team have reportedly filed an appeal against the decision to the Supreme Court.

Source: Xinhua