Dubai court fines married couple Dh1,000 each for fight in front of son, 4

An argument in Dubai between the pair turned violent after the wife NH, 32, called her husband MM, 32, from Iran, a "pimp".

DUBAI // A married couple who fought in front of their 4-year-old son have each been fined Dh1,000.

An argument between the pair turned violent after the wife NH, 32, called her husband MM, 32, from Iran, a "pimp".

She claimed she did so because he was having an affair, but he claimed the fight started because she questioned his orders that she should not continue her education.

The Misdemeanours Court heard that the pair had been suffering marital problems for the past three years and that these turned to blows on November 24 last year.

The husband said he was heading to an Iranian function with his sister when his wife insulted him by calling him a "pimp". He claimed not to have responded to the insult, instead sitting with his sister to tell her about his marriage problems.

"I then noticed that my wife was listening to us from behind the door," said the husband. He said his wife then opened the door and started slapping and punching him all over his body. He denied hitting her back.

"I just pushed her away from me and left the house with my sister," he added.

His sister testified that his neck was scratched in the attack. "I tried to break up the fight but she insulted me and slapped me," said the sister, 27.

When the husband returned the next morning his wife and son were no longer living in the house. "She claimed that I kicked her out of the house," said the husband.

But the wife claimed she was protesting against her husband's decision to bring home a woman he was having an affair with.

"He told me he loved her and he told me to leave the house," said the wife.

She said that when she refused to leave, on the grounds she had nowhere to go as all her family is in Iran, he punched her several times.

After this, she claimed, he threw her out of the house and threw her clothes out too.

She told prosecutors the husband also beat their son. "You can see the slap marks on his face," she said.

She also claimed to have a text message from her husband threatening he would kill her if she reported him to police for the assault.

The court convicted both on a charge of mutual assault.