A driver found guilty of running over his father-in-law and then reversing the car over him in a savage automobile attack has appealed against the verdict at the Supreme Criminal Appeals Court.
Last month, the 41-year-old Chinese expatriate was sentenced to five years behind bars on charges of assaulting his wife’s father and leaving him with severe injuries and a permanent disability.
According to court documents, the victim valiantly leapt in front of his daughter and his grandchildren to protect them from the man’s attempts to harm them. Both his legs were broken, alongside his pelvis and ribs. He also suffered bleeding to the brain and extensive facial fractures.
On the day of the ‘family at war’ incident last March, the appellant’s narcotic-fuelled rage was triggered after he found that his wife had reported him to the police for using drugs.
He reportedly searched for his wife – the intended victim of the attack – on the streets of Juffair, where he found her walking with their children and her parents.
After realising that his daughter was the target, her brave father attempted to speak reason to the defendant and calm him down, but to no avail.
He reportedly stood between the car and his offspring when his intoxicated son-in-law suddenly drove into him, knocking him to the ground.
The court heard he proceeded to drive over his father-in-law twice – once forwards and once backwards.
The bones which were broken include the tibia, fibula and femur, cheekbones, pelvis, his fourth to eighth ribs and fingers. In addition, the victim suffered from a collapse in the sinuses, a severed hand tendon, and a hematoma in the frontal lobe of his brain.
According to an official medical report, the injuries required multiple surgeries, months of treatment, physical therapy and have resulted in a permanent physical disability, as the Chinese grandfather can no longer walk.
“The father-in-law had decided to protect his daughter, the appellant’s wife, and his grandchildren from the defendant, who appeared to be ‘out of his mind’ while extremely high on narcotics,” read the verdict.
“The defendant reversed his car on the victim, driving it over his whole body while under the wheels of the car. He wasn’t satisfied with that, and went on to reverse it on top of him.”
Court documents state that the convict and his wife had a history of disputes over the ownership of a property and his alleged relationship to a Thai woman. She and her parents also previously reported him to the police for his misuse of drugs.
Last month, the High Criminal Court passed the five year prison sentence and ordered his deportation once the sentence was completed.
Appeal judges have set March 24 as the date they will announce their decision.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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