AN UNEMPLOYED man set two cars on fire in Tubli after getting high by sniffing glue used to make model aeroplanes, a court heard yesterday.
The 20-year-old Bahraini admitted a charge of committing arson and posing a threat to people’s lives and property when he appeared at the High Criminal Court.
After being asked by the lead judge why he had carried out the crime, the defendant responded: “Your Honour, I was doing the airplane stuff.”
The defendant went on to tell the court how he started to act irrationally after inhaling the substance.
According to court documents, the incident took place in May. The defendant was spotted opening the caps of vehicle fuel tanks and setting them on fire.
“I was on duty monitoring security camera feeds at 1am when I smelled smoke coming from outside,” a security guard at a glass and aluminium factory located close by told the Public Prosecution.
“On the screen, I saw a person on a bicycle approach a parked car, open the tank’s cap, set it on fire and then leave.”
The all-action Indian expatriate guard added that he rushed outside his security room, found a bucket at a nearby car garage, filled it with water, put out the burning vehicles and then called the police.
A police officer tracked down the defendant after identifying his bicycle near Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town.
Police told the court that the person captured in the video evidence had a physique that matched that of the defendant. His cycle was the same too.
The defendant himself confirmed that he was the person who appeared in the security footage, the court heard.
Sniffing glue is a form of inhalant abuse that can have serious health consequences and is only one type of inhalant used for getting high.
Experts say inhalant abuse is linked to sudden death as well as serious damage to major organs.
Someone sniffing glue is in immediate danger as well as at risk of long-term harmful effects, health experts warn. Another risk comes from ‘feeling invincible’. A user may take risks that they wouldn’t otherwise. They may fall, drown, get burned, or otherwise harm themselves.
The trial was adjourned to September 18 for defence arguments.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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