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A serial thief has gone on trial for allegedly threatening a couple with a metal rod and robbing from their home as well as fleeing with the wife’s car.
The 34-year-old unemployed Bahraini man reportedly returned the car two days later with its front grill missing and requested the couple not to inform the authorities.
Appearing at the first hearing of his trial at the High Criminal Court, the defendant denied robbing the Filipino couple and trespassing on their apartment in East Riffa, insisting that he was “completely innocent”.
“I have served my country for 15 years as a member of the National Guard,” he told judges.
“The accusations against me are false and I will not stop declaring my innocence!”
The Public Prosecution charged him with stealing the husband’s clothes, entering the couple’s home without permission by impersonating an officer, and using the wife’s car without her permission.
“On the day of the incident, I was leaving the apartment and was surprised to see the defendant, who began to yell at me,” the 45-year-old Filipina teacher told prosecutors.
“He claimed to be a Central Investigation Department (CID) officer, and entered our home. He was carrying a piece of metal and threatened to assault us,” added the woman.
“He told us to go into the bedroom and lock ourselves in, and we complied as we were afraid. When we left the room, we noticed that he stole my husband’s clothes and took my vehicle.
“He returned the car two days later, and claimed that he ‘just found it’.”
The defendant requested that the alleged victims do not report him to authorities, but they lodged a police report after the vehicle was returned.
The 45-year-old husband, who works at a food processing company, corroborated his wife’s statements.
A forensic team swept the woman’s vehicle, and reportedly found four sets of fingerprints that matched the defendant’s prints, which were stored in a national database.
Interior Ministry technicians found the defendant’s fingerprints on the car’s door handle, steering wheel, transmission and hand brake, but also the couple’s prints.
According to the forensic report, 12 unique markers were identified in the prints, confirming that they indeed belonged to the defendant.
DNA samples were also recovered, and they also matched the defendant’s biometric information.
A brief look at the man’s criminal record revealed a long history of criminal accusations and convictions. During his time in the National Guard, he was tried in a military court multiple times on charges of robbery, assault and more.
Judges adjourned the hearing to Sunday for defence requests.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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