A senior judge has provoked outrage by saying it is a ‘fundamental human right’ for a man to have sex with his wife.
Mr Justice Hayden made the comments during a preliminary hearing in a case heard by the Court of Protection, over whether a woman with learning difficulties had the ability to consent to intercourse with her husband.
Social workers fear she no longer has the mental capacity to give consent.
Mr Justice Hayden said: ‘I cannot think of any more obviously fundamental human right than the right of a man to have sex with his wife – and the right of the State to monitor that.’
His comments enraged Labour MP Thangam Debbonaire, who said they ‘legitimise misogyny and hatred’.
She said: ‘No man in the UK has such a legal right to insist on sex.’
Miss Debbonaire referenced the Sexual Offences Act 2003, saying ‘no capacity to give consent does not remove consent’.
The judge has ordered nobody in the case be identified while they appear before the court in London.
The husband had pledged to no longer sleep with his wife, but Mr Justice Hayden said he wanted to hear from lawyers before making a ruling.
Source: Daily Mail.
