A MURDER trial has again been adjourned to await a psychological evaluation of a Bahraini man accused of bludgeoning two expatriates to death with a hammer.
The 24-year-old defendant is standing trial at the High Criminal Court for premeditated murder.
In a confession at the Public Prosecution, he admitted committing the murders because he wanted to “kill as many foreigners” as he could.
However, his lawyer Sua’ad Yaseen argued in court that he suffered from a mental illness and requested the court to allow a doctor from the Psychiatric Hospital to conduct an evaluation.
The court agreed to the request in May, but the findings are yet to be submitted and the trial has been adjourned until Tuesday.
According to prosecution documents, the defendant is said to have planned the killings a month in advance.
The body of the first murder victim, Indian national Sajat Ali, was found on March 29 in Tubli. Two weeks later, on April 13, 57-year-old Mohammed Khan, also from India, was found dead in Jeblat Habshi.
While recounting the gruesome murders to prosecutors, he said that it took him 15 seconds to kill Mr Ali.
In his confession, he said he only stopped beating Mr Ali with the hammer when he heard his skull cracking.
He also said he struck Mr Khan eight times as the latter begged him to stop, before killing him in the same manner.
The defendant also admitted during questioning to previously attacking other Asian victims, who survived.
He said he mugged someone in Karbabad and also drove his car into another Asian man in Manama – pinning him between two vehicles.
The defendant told investigators he was driven by a hatred that stemmed from being sacked from his job.
He said he killed two of the victims so they could not identify him to police.
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