'We hope this will inspire other wives who suffer in silence to come out and seek justice for themselves,' he said.

This is believed to be the first case under a new provision in Malaysian family law introduced in 2007, making it an offence for husbands to hurt their wives or put her in fear of death in order to have sexual intercourse.

The law prescribes a maximum sentence of five years for those found guilty.

The man was also sentenced to 10 years in jail and three lashes of the whip for forcing his wife to have anal sex, which is a crime punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment in Malaysia even if it is consensual.

Both sentences are to be carried out concurrently, the report said.