RIYADH: A Saudi Arabian man who punched out his mother's tooth during a fight will have his own tooth broken as punishment, in addition to being imprisoned and publicly lashed.

The man, in his 30s, broke his mother's tooth while he beat her when she was travelling with him in a car.

The son was arrested after his bruised mother alerted the police at a security checkpoint and urged them to rescue her from him, according to Saudi daily 'Okaz'.

The mother was taken to a hospital for treatment and the son was produced before a court in Mecca .

The man admitted to assaulting his mother and breaking one of her front teeth, 'Gulf News' reported.

A medical report confirmed that the man was mentally sound and was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs during the incident.

The court sentenced the man to five years in prison and to 2,400 lashes, with 40 lashes being administered in public every 10 days, for assaulting his mother.

Applying the principle of retributive justice, Judge Turki Al Qarni also ruled that the man will have one of his own tooth broken.

The tooth will be the same as the one his mother lost during the physical assault.