A 26-year-old man in Baling, Kedah in Malaysia, was ordered by the court to pay RM30,000 (S$8,708) to his lover's husband for breaking up the couple's marriage.

He was found to have committed adultery with a 32-year-old married woman who eventually gave birth to his child, Utusan reported.

Lesson to the general public

The amount of compensation was found to be reasonable after taking into account the behaviour of the woman and man in question, remarked Alor Setar High Court Judge Mahazan Mat Taib.

Mahazan made the payment order after allowing a counter-petition filed by the woman's husband, 38.

The judge said that the court takes cheating and adultery seriously, especially if it breaks a family apart.

"The court takes this cheating behaviour seriously as it has affected a family life. Damages amounting to RM30,000 (S$8,708) must be paid to the husband, as a lesson to the general public," said Mahazan.

Left the country

The woman had previously filed a single divorce petition under the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976, the husband's lawyer said.

The 38-year-old trailer driver then filed a counter-petition naming the wife's lover as a party in the proceedings for allegedly cheating with his wife.

"After the counter-petition was submitted, the man in question and my client's wife left the country and were not present at today's proceedings. They also did not respond to the counter-petition," the husband's lawyer said.

He added that under a civil marriage, the court has the discretion to order the party found to have committed adultery with a married couple to pay damages as an example to the community.

Top image via Unsplash.