A man has been sentenced to five years in prison for starting a fire in his 79-year-old mother’s house after she urged him to ‘stay out of trouble and get a job’.
The High Criminal Court found the Bahraini defendant guilty of arson and of endangering lives and property. He was also ordered to pay BD300 in compensation for the damage caused.
The elderly mother told the court that her son, who is in his forties and lives with her, helped with household chores but suffered from drug addiction, which had affected his behaviour and led to periods of instability.
“My son threatened to burn down the house, so I went to the police station to file a report because I feared he would carry out the threat,” she testified.
“While I was there, a neighbour called to tell me that the house was on fire. I immediately returned home with a police patrol, but my son was nowhere to be found.”
According to testimony given during the Public Prosecution investigation, the incident happened in March when the defendant asked his mother to pay his mobile phone bill because he had no money.
She agreed and accompanied him by public transport to a telecommunications company’s branch in Isa Town to settle the payment.
On their journey home, she advised him to stay out of trouble and look for work. Her remarks reportedly infuriated him, prompting him to threaten to set the house on fire.
The elderly woman said that upon their return, her son prevented her from entering the house and continued making threats. Despite reminding him that his daughter was inside, he showed no sign of backing down.
Fearing he would carry out the threat, she went to the police station to file a complaint in the hope of preventing any harm.
However, before any action could be taken, the fire broke out.
The Civil Defence brought the blaze under control, and it was limited to the living room on the ground floor. Forensic specialists inspected the site and concluded that the fire was manmade.
The fire and accompanying smoke damage affected parts of the property, with repainting costs estimated at BD200.
A chair destroyed in the blaze was assessed at BD300.
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