A middle-aged woman has been sentenced to three years in prison for attacking policemen with a piece of broken glass after they came to her house to arrest her over a suspected cybercrime.
The High Criminal Court convicted the 55-year-old Bahraini of assaulting members of the public security force, resorting to violence, interfering with officers’ duties as well as insulting and disrespecting them.
The woman had initially been reported for making posts on X.com, formerly known as Twitter, that allegedly ‘incited violence, spread panic and undermined national security’.
A policeman previously testified that he was sent to arrest the defendant based on a warrant issued by the Anti-Cybercrime Directorate. He stated that she refused to open the door and began insulting the policemen. The officers then received orders to break down the door and did so.
Another officer testified that he was sent to the defendant’s residence as reinforcement and saw her holding a sharp piece of broken glass when he entered.
He recounted that she said ‘I will kill anyone who comes near me’. He then tried to take the glass from her, but injured his thumb in the process and withdrew from the scene.
The other officer then tried to take the glass from her hand. Although he also suffered a cut, he managed to remove it.
Even after being disarmed, however, she reportedly resisted arrest and continued assaulting the officers.
When she was taken to the police station, the defendant allegedly assaulted a policewoman.
“She unlocked her own handcuffs and tried to attack me,” the female officer said. “I tried to restrain her and, in the process, injured my right hand and suffered torn ligaments.”
According to court documents, the injury will take more than three weeks to heal, but the victim is expected to make a full recovery. The ligament tear was therefore not classified as a long-term injury.
The defendant was charged with assaulting the two on-duty policemen with a sharp object, causing cuts to their hands while they were executing the arrest order.
She was also charged with using force against the policewoman in an attempt to unlawfully prevent her from carrying out her duties, causing her injury.
Prosecutors further accused her of insulting the three officers, harming their reputations and honour by making claims that had ‘no basis in reality’.
The middle-aged Bahraini admitted to the charges and was convicted of them by judges.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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