Mel B defends husband

Mel B has slammed claims her new husband is a wife beater.

The Spice Girl, who secretly wed film producer Stephen Belafonte in June, was distraught following allegations Belafonte had attacked his ex, common law wife Nicole Contreras.

The 32-year-old singer says she would never marry an abusive man.

Mel told Britain's Hello! magazine: "Everything I stand for is about being a strong, independent woman, so for

him to be seen as a wife beater is devastating for me because he's not - he never has been.

"They're trying to make him out to be this aggressive, violent, woman batterer and he's not. If you read those

police reports, they say he never physically beat up a woman."

Mel - who has an eight-year-old daughter, Phoenix Chi, with ex-husband Jimmy Gulzar, and a four-month-old

daughter, Angel Iris, with ex-boyfriend Eddie Murphy - hates her family and friends thinking she married the wrong man.

She added: "The only thing I don't like is that my friends and family read this and go into shock-horror mode,

thinking, 'Oh, she's married a psychopath!' "

Earlier this month, it was revealed Belafonte is wanted by police - for killing a duck.

The father-of-one has a warrant out for his arrest in his home state of New Jersey for killing the bird with a brick.

Belafonte has admitted to bludgeoning the duck to death outside his Point Pleasant home, but fled to Los Angeles before paying his £300 court-ordered fine.

An Ocean County court spokesperson said: "A warrant has been issued over unpaid fines and costs relating to an animal-related offence. He will be arrested if he returns to the area."