"either three months in jail or 80 lashes with a whip (which could be fatal)."
Remember, this analysis is from the same people who call Guantanemo a place of torture. Whoever does the wipping has to do it while holding the quran under his arm. (At least for Muslims.) It wont be nice and will probably leave scars, but why spend any more time there?
The Estonian is not a Muslim, he's a dhimmi, and, in all likelihood, the wielder of the whip will be allowed to swing his full arm. And he'll probably enjoy it, too.