/ 2 December 2007

Court raps granny for assaulting young man

A court in southern Norway on Friday dismissed assault claims filed by an 82-year-old woman against a young man, finding instead that she had attacked him first, media reported.

The woman had accused a 29-year-old man of causing her a painful injury when he violently twisted her arm during a parking dispute, the daily Toensberg Blad reported on its website.

The prosecution had called for the man to serve an 18-day suspended prison sentence and pay a fine of 10 000 kroner ($1 820) and up to 30 000 kroner in damages and interests.

During the trial, however, the court heard a different version of what happened. After refusing to move her vehicle, which was blocking the man’s car, the old woman violently attacked him, going so far as to say she hoped his grandmother would drop dead.

The man had asked her to repeat her words, to which her only answer had been two slaps in the face. He had then grabbed her arm to ward off a third blow.

The Toensberg court ruled the man had acted in self-defence and dismissed the case. — AFP