A different kind of punishment for the young boy

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Just the other day, my husband told me a story about a young boy who was the child of one of our tenants. I learned that a neighbor told the father (the tenant) that he saw his son smoking cigarette. The father confronted his son (who is about 10 to 11 years old), and being cornered and not able to make alibis like before, the son suddenly said "Pa, I'm sorry!" The father was shocked. In ire he stripped the boy's clothes and sent him out of the house naked. He was left standing for long outside the house in that situation. My husband justified the act and told me that it is just right to castigate the young boy for lying many times. I begged to disagree and told him that it would left a scar in the young boy's mind longer than a physical punishment. Besides, the father was a chain smoker and a drunkard himself. What authority does he bear punishing the boy for that offense when he is also guilty of the bad deed? We parents forget most of the time that we should lead by example. Our children are our silent audience. They mimic the things that appeal to their young minds. It is sad that some parents define parenthood with the rule that what we say and think, as parent, is what matters and is right. Have you witnessed similar incidences? How do you define punishment as a parent? If you are not a parent, how do you conceive the idea of punishment to be given to young children?