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A woman and her four brothers testified against her husband at the High Criminal Court after he was charged with starting a fire in his own car in an attempt to frighten and threaten the family.
The Bahraini man reportedly carried petrol in a 20-litre water jug, typically used in water coolers, and spilled it on the vehicle, which is still owned by a credit company as he is paying off his car loan.
“On the day of the incident, in March, my husband came to my family home in a state of agitation and began fighting with me,” the 30-year-old wife from Eker earlier told prosecutors.
“He left, then came back with a big fuel container and poured some on the ground.
“Soon my brother got in my husband’s car, and drove it around him in an attempt to scare him, but my husband ran after him and just splashed petrol on the car, causing a small fire to start.”
The woman’s brothers, aged 20, 22, 39 and 41, were all at the house while the altercation was taking place and each gave their testimony to the Public Prosecution to support their sister.
When the 39-year-old heard his sister and her husband yelling at each other, he took the practical route and immediately headed to the police station to report the incident.
However, the 22-year-old brother tried to discourage the frenzied husband from further rash acts by hopping into his vehicle and driving it aggressively in his vicinity.
“I saw the defendant verbally attack my sister and threaten to burn down our house, so I told my two older brothers about the situation,” the young man testified.
“Soon after, I heard the noise of vehicle braking outside the house, and it became clear that the defendant returned, and he was in possession of a large liquid container which I suspected had fuel in it.
“Right then, I got the idea to drive his car myself and warned him that I’ll drive it straight into the sea. But he just poured petrol into the vehicle and ran away when a fire broke out in the motor.”
The defendant admitted to pouring the fuel and he was reportedly captured in the act by nearby security cameras.
A look at the 33-year-old heavy truck driver’s criminal record revealed that he was previously accused of similar crimes.
The court adjourned the hearing to June 1, first to appoint a new attorney to represent the defendant after the one initially assigned to him withdrew from the case.
Judges also asked the prosecution to expedite a request to issue a report detailing how much the damages are worth, since the vehicle is still owned by a credit company.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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