A domestic dispute between an elderly married couple resulted in them appearing in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday.

Dorothy Barnes, 78, took her husband, Headley Barnes, 82, before the gavel, accusing him of assaulting her after they got into a heated argument about their 25-year-old grandson.

Dorothy explained to Senior Resident Magistrate Glen Brown that the contention is that their grandson had got a woman pregnant and both have been residing at the house for some time now. She said she thought it was unacceptable for him to start a family under the same roof as her but her husband differed. As a result, Dorothy said she and her husband got into an argument during which he physically assaulted her and threatened her with a machete.

'Tump out mi teeth already'

"Your Honour he (Headley) is a very tough man, him tump out mi teeth already when we were younger, him only acting like poor thing in the court," Dorothy said. "My husband and my grandson is the problem, my husband wants him to stay in the house and start a family, but I don't. He (grandson) is not educated enough to start a family there (and) I don't need a baby crying in the house."

Dorothy continued that her grandson has been taking girls to the house since he was 14 and his grandfather had not put down his foot on that type of behaviour. She said she did not want to be bothered with having a baby in 'her house' be it her great-grandchild or not. Headley, who is said to be suffering from impaired hearing, hardly said anything, nor did their grandson.

RM Brown told Dorothy that she had a full six months before worrying about a baby crying in the house, as her grandson's lady friend was three months' pregnant. This did not move Dorothy nonetheless. RM Brown threw out the case, stating that he did not know how to solve the complicated matter. He suggested that maybe if Dorothy gave her grandson and his pregnant girlfriend the silent treatment they would one day get uncomfortable with it and voluntarily move out.