A court in Jeddah has ordered a man to divorce his wife after he beat her up in one of Jeddah’s shopping centers, local media said.

The court ruled that he would also have to pay SR 500 a month toward the upkeep of his daughter, according to Al-Watan daily.

The wife had earlier told police that her husband had insulted her, pulled her hair, taken away her bag and beaten her in a shopping center in Jeddah. When she tried to escape, he grabbed her and removed her veil in front of shoppers which prompted the security guards to intervene and put an end to the quarrel, a judicial source told the paper.

The case was reported to the police and the husband was arrested. His wife was referred to King Fahd Hospital for medical tests, the source said.

The medical tests revealed that the woman had suffered injuries and bruises to the arms, face and neck and that they would take approximately three days to heal.

The defendant admitted that he had taken away his wife’s bag to see its contents but denied the other allegations, according to the source.

The husband said that there had been a dispute with his wife for a couple of months which had caused her to leave the house and live with her family. The day before the incident, he contacted his wife’s house and discovered that she was going to a shopping center accompanied by their daughter. He said that he wanted to talk with his wife and ask about the child but she turned and walked away. After several attempts, she eventually spoke to him and a sharp dialogue erupted between them making him snatch her bag, the source said.

In the court, the husband signed a written pledge to refrain from repeating the action and pay SR500 for his daughter’s maintenance. The plaintiff (divorced wife), on the other hand, was ordered not to object to her ex-husband from visiting his daughter at anytime.