wo deaf and dumb men who were in a fight over a girl appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday.

One of the men, Terrence Ramsey, answered to the charge of unlawful wounding. He was accused of cutting the other man in the face.

Through a sign language expert, Ramsey told the court that he was guilty of the offence. He, however, said the complainant and his friends had attacked him on the night in question. He said the attack was because he has a sexual relationship with the complainant's girlfriend.

He said the girl asked him for sex and told him that the complainant was not working and could not afford to give her anything. He said the complainant and his friends came to beat him and they were armed with a knife. He said they pushed him and he used the knife to cut the complainant.

forced to have sex

The complainant, also with an interpreter, told the court, however, that Ramsey had forced his girlfriend to have sex with him. He said his girlfriend made a complaint to him and he had gone to ask the accused about it. He said the accused had also reportedly choked his girlfriend.

The court was told by the complainant that he wanted the accused to be jailed because as members of the deaf-mute community they should have respect for each other.

Ramsey was sentenced to pay $5,000 or serve six months in jail. He was also ordered to have his fingerprints taken.