A Lincolnshire businessman has been taken to court for spanking his wife.
Skegness Magistrates' Court heard how John Smith, 60, put his spouse Kim across his knee and smacked her bottom five times after an argument over a £3,000 loan
Smith was at his wife's home in Chapel St Leonards when the row erupted.
As voices were raised, Mrs Smith feared she was going to be beaten, said prosecutor Marie Stace.
Smith then grabbed her by the arm, held her face down on a sofa and smacked her several times, she added.
Asad Aziz, defending, said Smith had seen red after being called offensive names by his wife during the argument.
He described how the businessman could not accept the "disrespect and conduct she displayed that day" and admitted he had put her over his knee and smacked her five times.
The couple ran separate businesses in different parts of the country and each had homes near their respective workplaces.
Mrs Smith ran an American-style diner in Ingoldmells while her husband ran a fairground business in Hayes, West London.
The court heard that Smith would visit his wife's Lincolnshire home every week or two.
The row erupted when Smith returned to Chapel St Leonards to find a builder who was owed money for work at the diner and another property next to it.
Mr Aziz said Smith handed over a bag containing around £5,000 to him to pay the debt but an argument developed and his wife started to trade insults.
Smith admitted assault by beating and was given a 12-month conditional discharge and a 12-month restraining order.
He was also ordered to pay £85 in costs and a £15 victim surcharge to his wife.
