A WORKER who was sentenced to life in prison for killing a colleague by bashing his skull with a brick has had his case returned to the High Criminal Court following an appeal against the verdict.
Earlier this month, the 39-year-old Indian was convicted of premeditated murder, and the judges ruled that he would be deported after completing a 25-year sentence.
The victim, identified as 25-year-old Pakistani Muhammad Yousaf Muhammad, was repeatedly and violently struck to death with a 2.77kg brick, resulting in fractures to his skull and facial bones.
Due to the severity of the injuries, the victim fell into a coma and was transported from his labour accommodation in A’ali to the Bahrain Defence Force Hospital. Despite medical intervention, he died of his injuries nine days later.
Following a successful appeal, the accused once again stood trial at the court yesterday, where judges questioned him about the charges.
During the initial session on June 2, he had allegedly refused to appear before the court. However, he attended yesterday’s hearing, and told judges that he ‘does not remember anything’ about the March 8 incident.
He subsequently denied the charges against him. The case was then adjourned to next Sunday for further deliberation.
According to the case details, both the accused and the victim were working together at a famous fish restaurant.
The incident occurred while the victim was prostrating in the middle of afternoon prayer, when the accused struck his head with the brick.
When the victim arrived at the hospital, neurologists assessed him and observed that he was not responsive.
His status was rated three out of 15 on the Glasgow Coma Scale, which measures a patient’s level of consciousness after a brain injury and indicated the lowest possible score.
An autopsy report confirmed that no surgical intervention could have improved the victim’s prognosis.
Upon admission to the emergency department, he was intubated and put on a ventilator. A three-dimensional scan of his skull showed extreme fractures.
The brick had pierced the membranes protecting the brain and shattered the middle layer of the skull.
He was placed on life support in the intensive care unit until his heart eventually stopped.
A medical examiner confirmed that the injuries were caused not by a single blow but by ‘a series of intense hits, requiring concentrated force targeting more than one area of the head.’
Regarding the accused, he reportedly refused to co-operate with detectives, behaved hysterically and declined to give testimony during questioning.
A prosecutor stated that during interrogation, he took off his sandal, began shouting incoherently, and tried to leave the room. When an officer attempted to restrain him, he resisted and caused further disruption.
After his arrest, the accused was admitted to the Psychiatric Hospital for 15 days. However, a panel of psychiatrists evaluated him and concluded that he was fit to stand trial and did not suffer from any mental impairments that would render him not responsible for his actions.
On June 2, he was sentenced to life in prison but filed an appeal on June 30.
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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