Manama: Lawyers in Saudi Arabia differed over the legal action that could be taken by a British expatriate or the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the religious police, who were involved in a dramatic standoff in the capital Riyadh.

One lawyer said that the British national, a Muslim married to a Saudi woman, had the right to take the members of the Commission who assaulted him to court.

“They could be sentenced to 10 years in jail and face a fine of up to SR20,000 [Dh19,586],” Mohammad Al Jadhlani said, quoted by the London-based Al Hayat newspaper. “This is of course if they are found guilty of abuse or coercion through torture or cruelty,” he said.

The lawyer, a former judge, said that the British national had the right for compensation, but added that financial compensation would be difficult because the concept is not applied in the Saudi justice system.

However, another lawyer said that the Commission members involved in the standoff could take the British expatriate to court “in case they were verbally or morally abused.”

The incident loomed large in Saudi Arabia after a video clip showing the man arguing with members of the Commission inside a supermarket in a Riyadh and a physical assault on him at the parking lot went viral on social networks.

The Briton was reportedly approached by the members of the Commission when he used a check-out counter at a supermarket reserved for women and families.

When they asked him why he used the special counter, he answered that he was with his wife and had the right to use it.

However, the Commission members were angered by the answer and followed the couple until they reached their car outside the mall where they had a physical altercation.

The case became a national issue when the Commission last week removed four of its staff from the Riyadh office, saying it found them guilty of assaulting the British national and his Saudi wife.

The Commission also apologised to the couple and insisted that the aggressors did not represent its values, mission and objectives.

In a statement, the Commission said that it launched an investigation into the incident using a video clip of the dramatic altercation and accounts by the Commission members and witnesses to identify the people involved and determine their role and responsibilities in the events.

The four members refused to accept the decision and said that they would challenge it in courts.