A MAN has been sentenced to two years in prison for driving under the influence and causing a crash that injured his friend and tragically claimed the life of a promising young woman.
The 20‑year‑old motorist was found guilty of manslaughter, speeding, causing property damage and injuring a passenger in the accident that occurred in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
The High Criminal Court convicted him on all six charges, which included driving at least 30 per cent above the speed limit, reckless driving and causing the death of an individual while driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol.
The victim, also aged 20, was in her last year of university in the UK and was sitting in the back seat when the crash happened at about 5.30am.
The victim, the suspect and a friend were going home after spending time together on the beach in the early hours of January 1.
The three 20-year-olds were on their way to Riffa from Manama, when the driver lost control of the vehicle while attempting to merge into the left lane of the Shaikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah Highway.
He crashed into the barrier, hitting two light poles in the sandy area between the lanes.
The vehicle entered the opposite lane, colliding with another vehicle that happened to be on the road.
The 20-year-old Indian woman was propelled out of the vehicle due to the force of the crash, landing on the hard asphalt and dying on the spot.
Her autopsy stated that the impact fractured her skull and led to severe internal bleeding.
The defendant only experienced minor injuries, while their 20-year-old Sri Lankan friend – seated in the passenger’s seat – was treated for his injuries at the hospital but was later discharged.
He admitted to driving under the influence, losing control of the car and crashing. He recounted that, after the accident, he didn’t see the victim in the car, and exited the vehicle to see her body lying on the road.
The car that the defendant was driving sustained severe damage while the vehicle he collided with when he entered the opposite lane was only slightly damaged.
The defendant’s criminal record shows that in 2024, when he was 17, he beat up a boy and was fined BD50 for it.
Meanwhile, the late victim was a beloved student and a member of her school’s football team. She was in her third year of university, and was expected to graduate this year.
She was remembered as ‘an exceptional football player’, whose ‘absence leaves a void that can never be filled’.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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