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A MAN who assaulted policemen and tried to use his depression, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as an excuse in the criminal case, has lost his appeal against a one-year sentence.
Last month, the 37-year-old Bahraini was found guilty by the High Criminal Court of biting a policeman and slamming another officer’s head against a wall.
He took to the Supreme Criminal Appeals Court to contest the ruling, but judges upheld his guilt and jail sentence.
The two officers were tasked with transporting him from pre-trial detention to the Public Prosecution building for questioning, where he faced allegations of using illicit drugs.
As previously reported in the GDN, the policeman assigned to the appellant was waiting for a decision regarding his pre-trial imprisonment shortly before the attack took place.
“The suspect suddenly assaulted me and my police partner, slamming my head against a wall. We tried to calm him down but he beat me with great force,” the officer said.
His colleague testified that, during the altercation, the man bit him on the shoulder leaving a bloody wound.
Although the defendant admitted to the assault, he claimed that he only hit the policemen as ‘a payback’ for hitting him first.
The Bahraini man’s attorney attempted to get the charges against his client dismissed twice – both times using the ‘insanity plea’ and arguing that the serial thug was unfit to stand trial.
During the initial trial, a panel of psychiatrists found that the man did not suffer from mental impairments that would prevent him from being held accountable for his actions.
Despite this statement, the lawyer claimed that the 37-year-old defendant suffered from ‘mental illness’, blaming his actions on his condition and the influence of prescription medication.
“A psychiatrist has diagnosed that my client suffers from generalised anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder and ADHD,” said the lawyer in a defence memo.
“Furthermore, my client has been receiving treatment for these conditions since 2022, and takes a prescription medication to manage them.
“The medications have physical and psychological effects that cause involuntary movements and actions, and what he did on the day of the incident was under the influence of these drugs.”
The lawyer used this argument again before appeals judges, attempting to take advantage of laws that exempt individuals from prosecution for their actions in some cases if they are affected by narcotics.
The appeal was rejected, and the court upheld the one-year sentence.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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