A Zimbabwe 17-year-old  was convicted of “criminal insult,” and sentenced to two strokes from a cane after taking a photograph of a woman, posting it on Facebook, and calling her a “typical prostitute.”

The teen is the first in his southern African nation to be sentenced because of a derogatory comment on Facebook.

According to the Herald newspaper, the boy,  from the rural town of Chiredzi, was convicted after he confessed to using his mobile phone to secretly photograph a woman at her office.  He then posted the picture on Facebook with a caption saying she was “a typical Chiredzi prostitute,” said a local radio station.

The boy pleaded with the judge for leniency, arguing he was brand new to social networking, an orphan and the bread winner in his family, according to RadioVop Zimbabwe.

Why he posted the insult has not been reported.  The Zimbabwe radio station said the woman was among his Facebook friends, and he called her to tell her about the posting.  She then called police.  The boy’s Facebook page has since been taken down.