Benin: a landlord has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for biting his tenant

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The Abomey court, on Monday, December 29, dealt with an unusual case pitting a tenant against his landlord. At the end of the hearing, the landlord was found guilty of voluntary assault and battery for physically attacking his tenant, going so far as to bite his finger. The court sentenced him to twelve months’ imprisonment, of which two months were to be served, as well as the payment of a fine.

The facts date back to a dispute at the tenant’s home. According to the victim, after returning from a pharmacy, she found the gate of the house deliberately blocked by the landlord, a situation she says occurs regularly. Faced with the inability to access her home normally, the tenant allegedly climbed over the wall to enter the courtyard.

Once inside, the tension rose. According to the victim’s version, the landlord physically attacked him, beating him before biting his finger. He allegedly caused injuries that justified a complaint and the opening of judicial proceedings.

The court recalls the tenant’s fundamental rights

At the stand, the defendant did not deny the facts. He explained his action by his exasperation with the tenant’s habits, a driver by profession, whom he accused of returning home late every day. An argument the court firmly rejected, recalling that the tenant remains free to move and has the right to come home at a time of his choosing, without having to justify himself to his landlord.

Already placed in provisional detention, the landlord had spent two months at the Abomey detention center before the hearing. This period was taken into account in calculating his sentence, allowing him to regain his freedom immediately after the verdict.

The court also rejected the victim’s claim for 287,000 CFA francs in damages. The judges considered that the documents produced did not sufficiently establish the alleged damage.