A DRIVER who burned eight dumpsters in central Manama has been found guilty of arson and endangering the lives and property of others.
The High Criminal Court has sentenced the 37-year-old man from A’ali to a year in jail over the incident that took place in May.
The Bahraini earlier denied charges of intentionally starting a fire, although three witnesses testified to seeing him at the scene of the crime.
“I saw a person pulling a waste container and placing it in the middle of the road before leaving the scene,” a Pakistani who works for a decor company said. “Thick smoke was coming out of the garbage.”
Another expatriate claimed he saw the defendant stopping people from putting out the blaze.
“I was going to a cold store when I saw the burning dumpster,” the Bangladeshi labourer told the Public Prosecution.
“There were a number of people around the trash bin, who were trying to put the fire out, but I saw that a man (the defendant) was stopping them.”
He added that he saw a fellow Bangladeshi trying to restrain the defendant, who, however, managed to free himself and flee.
A third witness, a Pakistani, was on his way to the mosque when he testified to seeing the defendant at the scene.
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