A husband has been sentenced to 20 lashes after alleging his wife was not a virgin when they married.

He was accused of suggesting his bride was lying about her virginity during a public outburst in front of her father and other neighbourhood elders, according to a Saudi news website.

The humiliated wife went to court to prove her honour and reputation, Al-Sharq Online reported.

A judge in the Saudi city of Mecca ordered the public flogging of the Yemeni man to be carried out in one session because he could not offer any evidence to refute the claims.

He says she had been married and divorced before marrying 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.

•Excerpted from Daily Mail.