A son admitted punching a senior who he believed was taking advantage of his mother in a property deal.

Pernell Grant, 43, along with his brother Dominc Grant, 41, and sister Lauren Grant,44, are standing trial for assaulting Leslie Pryce on October 3, 2005.

Though they have all denied the charges, Pernell Grant admitted yesterday he did punch the 64-year-old in the mouth but said he used little force and Mr. Pryce “jumped back three feet like they do in Hollywood”.

He added: “We are not thugs.”

Magistrates’ Court heard that the siblings grew angry when their mother told them she may have entered into a $30,000 contract with her tenant, Mr. Pryce, to finish renovations on a home in Smith’s she owned.

Lauren Grant, who is a co-signee on the Smith’s residence, said she was furious because she had told Mr. Pryce mid September that his services were no longer needed because he had already taken three years on what was supposed to be a 12 month job.

She admitted rushing down the stairs to confront Mr. Pryce - who was sitting near his apartment entrance.

She said: “I asked him why he had got my mother to sign a contract but he did not even look at me I was upset so I picked up a cinder block to get his attention.

“I did not throw it or swing it at Mr. Pryce. I put it back on the ground.”

Under examination by her lawyer Victoria Pearman she said she was angered because her mother was “distressed” and “depressed” about the property deal and said her mother was forgetful and not sure if she had or had not signed the contract.

Ms Grant, who is a registered nurse, said her mother appeared to be suffering from early signs of Alzheimer’s disease at the time of the incident.

Her brother, Dominic Grant, agreed that his sister never threw the block at Mr. Pryce and said he helped her place it on the ground.

Under cross examination from Crown counsel Nicole Smith he denied ever touching Mr. Pryce and vehemently denied saying the siblings should “finish him off”.

He told the court: “We were angry as anyone would be. We felt that our mother was being taken advantage of.

“But that is not me. That is not in my nature, I am not violent. Those are serious words - to finish someone off is to kill them.

“I am upset that the allegation has been made.”

He added that his siblings were not normally angry people but that the situation had caused them to “not be of right mind”.

When asked by his brother Pernell’s lawyer Rick Woolridge to describe the family he said: “We are a close family, all hard workers. We have not been before the courts for criminal matters. There are five of us and we are a caring family.

“We keep to ourselves.”

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo adjourned the case, which will resume on June 25.