AN expatriate labourer, who was found guilty in absentia of aggravated robbery and assault, has had his jail sentence cut from five years to three after he lodged an objection at the High Criminal Court.
As previously reported in the GDN, the Pakistani man is said to have led a gang of knife-wielding burglars, breaking into a worker’s accommodation in Manama and stealing a roommate’s wallet containing BD200.
He was sentenced in May last year but at the time he was absconding.
However, he was arrested recently and he lodged the objection against his sentence last month.
Earlier in the week, judges cut his sentence but upheld the order to deport him after completing his jail term.
“The court finds that the objection has no basis, which calls for its rejection,” said the new ruling, adding that nothing new was presented by way of defence.
“But considering the circumstances of the case, the court rules to amend the verdict to make it align better with the crime.”
According to court documents, four Pakistani men said they were victims of the defendant and his accomplices.
“I was with my roommates in our shared residence when we were surprised to see a large number of Pakistani nationals enter the room we were in,” one of the victims told prosecutors.
“They entered by breaking down the door and were carrying wooden planks and knives in their hands. They beat us up and then searched us, stealing out personal possessions.
“They stole my wallet which contained BD200.”
Another victim was reportedly assaulted by the defendant and his posse of unidentified miscreants, but the victim did not suffer any long-term injuries, according to the medical examiner’s report.
A policeman, who received the initial report from the roommates, was able to trace the defendant’s name and information though a phone number provided to him by the victims.
They were reportedly able to correctly pick his photo out from a line-up, identifying him as one of the armed burglars. However, none of the other gang members appear to have been arrested.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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