US judge who beat daughter with belt suspended

[1]

A Texas judge who was caught by his then teenage daughter on video beating her repeatedly with a belt in a row over her computer use has been suspended from duty, US justice officials said.

A seven-minute video of William Adams whipping Hillary Adams, now 23, at least 17 times and shouting abuse at her in 2004 has gone viral on the Internet and been viewed millions of times since she posted it online last month.

The Supreme Court of Texas said in a statement late Tuesday that the judge had been suspended on full pay, but no findings of fact had yet been made.

The video sparked a public outcry in the United States, where corporal punishment -- outlawed in much of Europe -- is legal within homes in all 50 states.

Adams's daughter told the NBC news show 'Today' earlier this month that corporal punishment had been a regular feature in her home, leading her to capture her father's actions on tape.

"So I set up my video camera on the dresser and covered the little red light with a scarf. About half an hour after I set the camera up this happened, and it was amazing that I was able to capture such a thing," she said.

Adams's mother was also once seen hitting her screaming daughter, who was reportedly being rebuked for making illegal downloads from the Internet.

Speaking earlier this month to local television station KZTV outside his home in Rockport, Texas, Adams acknowledged it was him in the video, but he said his conduct was 'not as bad as it looks on tape'.