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A Sitra man was found guilty of setting fire to dumpsters in eight cases, and was sentenced to eight years in prison by the High Criminal Court.
The 46-year-old Bahraini burned garbage containers in Mahazza, Sitra, between January and May. Each incident was tried separately and he was sentenced to one year in prison for each offence.
Judges did not fine the defendant for property damage, since they considered the trash ‘worthless’. The dumpsters had also not sustained significant damage to warrant a fine.
During a trial, the court ordered that the Bahraini man be admitted to the psychiatric hospital. A medical commission found that he misused inhalants and alcohol, but declared him fit to stand trial.
“The psychiatric report concluded that the defendant had been inhaling glue and abusing alcohol for the past four years, and was under the influence of these substances at the time of the incidents,” the verdict read.
“Despite his altered state, it appeared that he understood his actions and their consequences, and he was declared fit to stand trial.”
According to the Public Prosecution, the retired Interior Ministry employee burned dumpsters on January 2, February 12 and 27, March 20, April 16 and 21, and May 14 and 29.
The man admitted to the charges, telling the judges that he was taking revenge against people in his neighbourhood, who accused him of ‘spying on them’.
He stated that he regretted his actions, and vowed not to repeat his actions. In an earlier hearing, he told the court that he had acted because of his mental health issues due to the current state of affairs.
“I also did it because the trash smells awful and I didn’t want it to become a source of disease, since garbage bins aren’t emptied often enough,” the Bahraini added.
He previously admitted to setting tissue paper on fire with his lighter before throwing it into the dumpsters, causing the fire to spread.
In a defence memo, the man’s lawyer asked the court to amend the charges to property damage, claiming that he did not endanger anyone’s life.
His lawyer also argued that he should not be held liable for his actions because he suffers from a mental illness that prevents him from controlling his behaviour.
The judges requested that the Health Ministry’s Medical Commission evaluate his mental and psychiatric state, which concluded that he could be held responsible for his actions.
In July, four cases were brought before the court, and four further trials began in August, though details distinguishing the individual incidents were limited. In all eight, he was convicted of intentionally starting fires and endangering the lives and property of those around him.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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