A tooth for a tooth - if you cannot turn the other cheek - accussed told

"You should have given a slap for a slap not a hot iron" an Accra Circuit Court Judge, Mrs Justice Elizabeth Anderson-Yeboah told an accused person today.

She was sentencing Ibrahim Adjetey 36 who was found guilty for branding his land lady with a heated box iron.

Ibrahim's defence was that the landlady, Madam Comfort Tokpa had slapped him as a result of which he lost his tooth.

He was fined 500,000 cedis and was also ordered to pay an additional 500,000 cedis to the complainant.In default, Adjetey will go to prison for a year.

The court heard that the accused is in the habit of ironing and washing in front of other tenants doors. Repeated warnings did no good to get him to stop the habit.

On Saturday the 14th of November, while ironing in front of someone else's door, Afi Tokpa an eight year old grand- daughter of Madam Tokpa pulled a face at him.

Ibrahim was said to taken offence and ran after the little girl waving his iron and threatening to "give her a scar that will teach her how to behave towards seniors."

When Madam Tokpa tried to intervene, he pushed her with the iron leaving her with what a forensic report which confirmed a third degree burn.

Ibrahim Adjetey told the court that the act was in self defence. He said Madam Tokpa had slapped him for talking to her grand-daughter and that he had lost a tooth as result.

"Tender the tooth in evidence" demanded judge Anderson- Yeboah. Ibrahim said he had left it at the site of the incident.

Police investigators asserted that the accused had lost his tooth years ago and the gap in his mouth was not as a result of a recent slap.