A wheelchair-bound man allegedly jumped out of a bedroom window into a neighbouring property to escape arrest, a court heard.
He went on to assault a police officer with a screwdriver and a knife, the High Criminal Court judges were told, but he denies all accusations saying he was physically incapable of carrying them out.
The 46-year-old faces charges of using force and violence against an on-duty public security officer in an attempt to prevent him from carrying out his duty.
The tool-yielding Bahraini allegedly tried to resist arrest. He raised a screwdriver and knife injuring a 31-year-old policeman who suffered ‘mild scratches’ according to a medical report.
“I’ve been disabled for years, before this case began,” he told judges at a hearing, facing them while in his wheelchair. “This is my condition,” he said, gesturing at himself. “How could I resist them or harm them? My back and arm are injured.”
He then claimed in court that one of the police officers ‘slipped the tools’ into his possession.
A judge was told that he was currently in prison serving a seven year stretch for ‘being in a street fight’ and the court heard he also had convictions of carjacking and domestic abuse.
The Public Prosecution presented its version of events. “I received notice that the defendant was in a house in Salmabad,” a police officer earlier testified. “He was wanted in regard to several cases.
“I went to a house with my partner and we asked about the defendant. The person who opened the door told us he was upstairs, and allowed us to enter.
“The door to the defendant’s room was locked and he did not respond to our knocks. We heard the sound of a window opening and he seemed to have jumped into a nearby house.
“We ran downstairs and chased him. When we spotted him, I noticed he was carrying metal implements. I asked him to put them away but he didn’t. I stepped forward in an attempt to capture him but he tried to hurt me with the things he was carrying.”
The man’s lawyer insisted that her client was innocent. “How did the policeman suffer a simple scratch after being attacked with a knife?” asked.
“There is no convincing proof that the attack did happen, and no security camera footage either.
“The defendant suffers from a health condition which makes him unable to walk or stand on his own two feet. How was he able to raise a sharp object against the officer?”
Judges adjourned the hearing to March 17, when a verdict will be issued in the case.
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