Saudi man sentenced to lashing for accusing wife

A judge in the city of Mecca has ordered a man to be lashed 20 times for accusing his spouse of not being a virgin when they married, according to a Saudi news website.

The Yemeni man was sentenced to be flogged in one session for not providing evidence to back up the accusation, Al-Sharq Online reported.

The website said the man allegedly accused his wife in front of her father and other neighbourhood elders of lying about her virginity. He says she had been married and divorced before him. As is common in conservative parts of the Arab world, he says the marriage contract stipulated she was a virgin at the time of their wedding.

The website says the wife went to court to prove her honour and reputation.