Judge quotes Bible to justify woman’s assault by her ex-husband

A judge in Portugal has come under harsh criticism after quoting the Bible to justify a woman's assault by her ex-husband.

The assault occurred in 2015 when the woman was lured to a location and then beaten with a nail-studded hammer. The man had claimed that his ex-wife had cheated on him. Her former lover was also involved in the incident. Both men received suspended sentences for the attack. Portuguese publication, the Publico, has reported that in the court's written ruling, the judges stated that they had "some understanding" as to why the attack occurred. One judge is quoted as writing:

“A woman’s adultery is a very serious attack on the honour and dignity of a man. Societies exist where an adulterous woman is stoned to death. "In the Bible, we can read that the adulterous woman should be punished by death. Not long ago the criminal law (Penal Code of 1886, article 372º) punished, with little more than a symbolic penalty, the man who, on finding his adulterous wife, killed her.”

The ruling has come under harsh criticism by women's rights groups in Portugal.