The High Criminal Court has upheld a three-year prison sentence given to a border agent convicted of burning a car belonging to a woman who rejected his hand in marriage.
The 31-year-old Bahraini was found guilty in absentia at a lower court of purposefully setting a vehicle on fire, damaging the wall of the house it was parked next to, as well as the awning.
Judges ordered him to pay the victim BD4,600 as compensation for her damaged Toyota Camry, as well as BD499 to her father for damage incurred to the wall, and another BD720 for the shades.
She testified that the two were in contact because she needed to borrow money from him. Once he learned that she was getting married, he reportedly began sending her threats and told her he ‘intended to do evil’.
Because the man was unable to defend himself in the initial trial, he lodged an objection at the High Criminal Court, which was granted to him.
The court heard that in March 2024, the 31-year-old unemployed Bahraini woman woke up to the news that her car was on fire. She was able to identify the defendant in security camera recordings.
Various witnesses testified to seeing him near the Galali house, while another stated that he came to his home to take a shower and ditched the clothes he was wearing when he committed the arson.
A neighbour of the victim said he saw the suspect appear confused near her house and spotted smoke rise from her vehicle.
The Bahraini denied all accusations, giving an entirely different account of his day that did not involve him going to the house and starting the fire.
“At 2am, I was in the garage tinkering on my motorcycle. At 3am, I got in my mum’s car and headed to my friend’s house, but the car broke down near my destination.
“I managed to repair it and returned home at 5am. Then I went to a farm behind Galali Cemetery, where I usually go to sit with a Bangladeshi worker, and was with him until 10am. When I got home, I got a call from the police accusing me of arson.”
He recounted his history with the victim, stating that he knew her brothers, since they were all neighbours, and that she had reached out to him herself.
“Some time ago, I received a message request on Instagram from their sister who said she was in a station in Saudi Arabia and needed BD800 right away,” he claimed. “She said none of her family was responding and needed the money fast, so I wired her the amount, and contact between us ceased. I would occasionally ask her about the money, but she would avoid answering.
“A week ago, my car was in the garage and I’d already paid a BD400 deposit to the mechanic. I needed another BD600 and asked her for the money back, and she said she’d return it in BD100 monthly instalments.”
Meanwhile, the woman described her relationship with the objector as ‘shallow’ stating that they ‘sent each other text messages from time to time’.
She testified that she was going through financial hardship and asked for his help. When the man found out she got engaged, two months before the incident, he asked for his money back and the two agreed on a repayment schedule. “One day, he contacted me, stating that he was planning to stir up trouble,” she added.
The man was found guilty of arson, was sentenced to three years in prison, and asked to pay back a total of BD5,819 in damages.
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