A Saudi man who punched his mother in the mouth and broke her tooth has been ordered to have the same tooth in his own mouth broken.
The unnamed Saudi man was also as part of his punishment sentenced to five years in jail and 2,400 lashes to be given out at a rate of 40 every 10 days in a local marketplace.
The man, in his 30s, was arrested after his mother contacted the police asking them to rescue her after the attack.
While his mother was taken to hospital, police took the son before the courts.
The judge, Turki Al Qarni, issued the ruling after a medical report showed the son was mentally stable, and had not taken drugs or drunk alcohol.
The ruling is based on a verse from the Koran which reads: ‘And We ordained therein for them: A life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth.’
Harsher sentences are normally handed out against grievances against parents as the Koran holds them in high regard.
One instance last year saw a judge in the Red Sea city of Jeddah sentence a man who had beaten his mother and broken her arm to remain in jail until she agreed to let him out.
The man, who admitted during the investigation that he had physically abused his elderly mother, was also sentenced to 200 lashes for his assault.
The stringent application of corporal and capital punishment meted out in Saudi Arabia continues to bring in strong international condemnation.
