The trial of a labourer accused of stabbing his best friend to death can finally resume, after seven weeks of adjournments, as psychiatrists have declared him responsible for his actions.
The 43-year-old Pakistani man earlier denied murdering his fellow national with a kitchen knife in a drunken rage, despite admitting to the frenzied attack in police investigations.
In early January, the murder suspect’s lawyers requested High Criminal Court judges to order a psychiatric report to determine whether he was fit to stand trial.
The man underwent an evaluation by a panel of consultant psychiatrists at Government Hospitals, who yesterday concluded that he can be held responsible for any alleged crimes he may have committed.
Court documents state that the Pakistani defendant allegedly stabbed his friend repeatedly in the chest, piercing his heart, tearing one of his lungs and leaving behind a 2.5cm-wide wound on the left side of his torso.
The bloody quarrel reportedly took place after the expat learned that his best friend had hit his older brother, who he shared labour accommodation with, and insulted his mother and sister.
According to witness testimonies, the two Pakistanis were ‘best friends’ of more than 10 years, and had worked in several Arab countries together before coming to work in Bahrain.
“Restrain him – he’s holding a knife!” were the 47-year-old victim’s last words, according to his roommates who were trying to stop the defendant’s assault.
Witnesses recounted how the older brother and the victim had a bitter argument earlier that day, and that the defendant flew into a rage when he found out about the fight, the GDN earlier reported.
They added that the defendant burst into the apartment and demanded that the person who insulted his mother and sister make himself known.
After the victim owned up to his foul rant, the defendant reportedly ran to the kitchen, slipped a knife into his pocket, threw himself at the victim and plunged the blade into his chest.
Though he denied planning the killing ahead of time, the murder suspect told judges that he had been drunk at the time of the incident, which led him to seriously injure the victim in his state of rage.
Following the bloody attack, the suspect reportedly ran out of the apartment and wandered the streets aimlessly, until he was located and arrested.
In a previous hearing, a 23-year-old housemate of the victim and brother’s claimed that he tried to apply first aid to the victim, but it was to no avail.
In a statement issued less than a week after the alleged killing, the Public Prosecution revealed that a murder weapon had been seized.
The hearing has been adjourned to February 24 for defence arguments.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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