A man who was found guilty of biting off one-third of the ear of his family’s domestic worker has been declared fit to stand trial for a second time as his case continues before an appeals court.
In May, he was sentenced to three years in prison for an assault that left the Filipina with a permanent injury, assessed by medical experts as a ‘seven per cent disability’, after she lost part of her left ear.
After his conviction was upheld by the High Criminal Appeals Court, he took his case to the Supreme Criminal Appeals Court, where his attorneys once again attempted to rely on an insanity defence.
Following months of waiting, the much-anticipated psychiatric report was submitted to the court yesterday, addressing his mental condition and fitness to stand trial.
“The appellant has a history of drug use, but does not suffer from psychiatric or mental illnesses that render him not responsible for his actions,” the report read.
During the original trial, the man’s defence stated that he could not be held responsible for his actions because of his mental illness. However, a government-issued psychiatric report declared him fit to stand trial.
The court heard that the victim, a 47-year-old Filipina, had worked at the appellant’s family home for 23 years. An altercation broke out between the two, during which he bit off part of her ear.
A medical report stated that the woman had lost a considerable part of her left pinna, the external part of the ear. It said the injury was consistent with ‘a bite of great force’, and she was referred for plastic surgery.
An image of the severed portion of the ear was included in the court files, along with photographs of the victim covered in blood and the trail of blood left at the scene.
Earlier in the appeals process, the defendant’s lawyers claimed that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and psychosis and that he experienced ‘religious delusions’ and heard ‘multiple voices’ in his head. They also stated that he had been prescribed olanzapine (Zyprexa), an antipsychotic medication.
They further claimed that the victim was undergoing a series of reconstructive procedures to restore her ear, and that the ‘seven per cent injury assessment was not final’.
The GDN previously reported that the man had admitted to the charges during Public Prosecution questioning, but said that what happened was a mistake.
The victim recounted the incident to prosecutors, stating that the appellant started an unprovoked altercation with her, triggering a series of events that ended with her losing part of her ear.
“It was 9.15am and I was cleaning the living room, when the appellant came and asked me where his phone was,” she testified.
“I told him it was in his hand, which sent him into a state of extreme anger. He looked at me as though he would attack me, which scared me. So, I ran to the kitchen and tried to call someone to help me.
“He ran after me and pulled the phone from my hand. I asked for it back and he refused, so I took his phone from him. I said I’ll give it back if he gave me my phone back.
“He pushed me and I fell. He beat me up, sat on my back and injured my ear. His sisters pulled me away from him. When I looked at him, I saw some of my hair in his mouth, I think he bit me.
“His sister took me to the kitchen and tended to my wounds. When I went back to the living room, I saw a piece of my ear on the floor next to a knife.”
Meanwhile, the appellant’s sister claimed that the victim had ‘put a spell on the house to make everyone obey her’. In her statement to the Public Prosecution, she also claimed that the victim had an unusual interest in black magic, sorcery and jinn.
Appeals judges adjourned the hearing to October 4 for defence arguments.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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