A heavy truck driver was sentenced to three years in prison for setting his car on fire by dousing it with petrol, in an attempt to frighten his wife and her four brothers.
Although his wife withdrew her claims for damages against her husband, the High Criminal Court found the 33-year-old Bahraini defendant guilty of arson.
Since the father-of-two was still repaying his car loan taken from a financing company, he was also ordered to compensate the company BD3,575 for the damaged car.
“On the day of the March incident, my husband came to my family home in an agitated state and began fighting with me,” the 30-year-old wife from Eker earlier told prosecutors.
“He left and then came back with a big fuel container and poured some on the ground.
“In response, my brother got into my husband’s car and drove it around him in an attempt to scare him, but my husband ran after him and just splashed petrol on the car, causing a small fire to start.”
When one of the brothers, aged 39, heard his sister and her husband yelling at each other, he took the practical route and immediately headed to the police station to report the incident.
However, a 22-year-old brother tried to discourage the frenzied husband from further rash acts by hopping into his vehicle and driving it aggressively in his vicinity.
The young man testified that he saw the defendant verbally attack his sister and threaten to burn down their house, so he told his two older brothers about the situation.
“Soon after, I heard the noise of a vehicle braking outside the house, and it became clear that the defendant had returned. He held a large liquid container, which I suspected contained fuel.
“Right then, I got the idea to drive his car myself and warned him that I’ll drive it straight into the sea. But he just poured petrol on the vehicle and ran away when a fire broke out in the motor.”
Court documents specify that the suspect splashed the car with petrol from a 20-litre water cooler jug and then set it on fire.
The GDN earlier reported that the defendant admitted to pouring the fuel, and he was reportedly captured in the act by nearby security cameras.
Although his Bahraini wife stands by her testimony, she decided to withdraw her claims in any civil suit related to the incident.
At a previous hearing, the defendant submitted a handwritten letter to judges, begging for forgiveness because he is the father of two children under two years of age, who rely on him for food and shelter.
He claimed that since he was jailed, an accident left his young daughter with third-degree burns, and he asked to be let go so he could care for her.
“The time I’ve spent in jail made me learn from my mistakes, and I won’t repeat such an act,” he earlier said.
The defendant’s attorney, Manal Dhahi, earlier requested judges to order a psychiatric evaluation of the accused, to determine whether he remains fit to stand trial. Judges did not grant her the request.
A look at the man’s criminal record revealed that he was previously accused of similar crimes.
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