Judge Lets Man Who Brutally Beat Wife Off The Hook

Judges in Portugal cited Bible verses to allow a man who viciously beat his ex-wife to avoid prison time.

A Portuguese appeals court sparked controversy when a man avoided imprisonment after beating his ex-wife so badly she had to get five stitches, according to Raw Story.

The beating took place in June 2015, when the man attacked his wife, helped by her ex-lover, with a nail-spiked club, CNN reported. The victim’s ex-lover held her down while the man hit her with the club on her head and body.

The names of those involved in the case were not revealed in court documents.

The man was given a suspended sentence of one year and three months and was ordered to pay a fine. The ruling was appealed by the public prosecutor’s office in hopes of a stiffer sentence that included prison time.

The appeals court refused to impost a stronger sentence. The explanation for its decision has many people outraged. The judge said the man’s behavior could be excused because his wife had “dishonored” him by having an affair.

“Now, the adultery of the woman is a very serious attack on the honor and dignity of the man,” the court ruling said. The ruling was signed by Judge Joaquim Neto de Moura. “It was the disloyalty and the sexual immorality of the plaintiff that made [the defendant] fall into a profound depression, and it was in this depressive state and clouded by the revolt that carried out the act of aggression, as was well considered in the judgment under appeal.”

The ruling included a Bible verse that states that “the adulterous woman must be punished by death.”

“This case is far from having the seriousness that, generally, is presented in cases of mistreatment in the context of domestic violence,” the ruling said. “On the other hand, the conduct of the defendant took place in a context of adultery practiced by the plaintiff.”

Human rights group Amnesty International condemned the court’s ruling on the case, calling the judges’ decision “abusive.”

“Amnesty International Portugal expresses its concern not only for the performance of the adjudicating judges in breach of the legal and constitutional precepts, but for the reflection of a culture and justice that promotes misogyny,” the organization said in a statement.

Amnesty International added that the court has “an obligation to protect citizens, equally, without gender discrimination,” and the responsibility to ensure that those who commit domestic violence are held accountable “regardless of the relationship.”

Sources: CNN, Raw Story / Featured Image: Fayerollinson/Wikimedia Commons / Embedded Images: ArtStation, Brian Turner/Wikimedia Commons