A wheel wrench wielding insurance clerk who was overcome by rage when he battered police officers has lost his appeal bid against a two-year prison sentence.
He received the jail term in August after being found guilty on several counts of assaulting and disrespecting public security officials.
During the initial High Criminal Court trial, the Bahraini denied all charges and his defence argued that he could not be held responsible for his actions as he had been in a ‘fugue state of rage’ at the time of the incident. The excuse did not impress judges at the Supreme Criminal Appeals Court either.
On the day of the incident, the 41-year-old man’s sister reported him for domestic violence and police were despatched to his Sanad home to arrest him. There was at least one arrest warrant already out for him.
“We saw him behind his house, standing near an old car with its trunk open,” the officer testified. “We informed him of our identity and we asked him for his name.”
According to the officer, the defendant yelled ‘what do you want from me?’ and ran away.
A chase ensued, during which he threatened the officers brandishing a metal object. When they tried to catch him, he reportedly ‘smacked’ a policeman on the head with the wrench.
Although officers managed to overpower him, he resisted entering their patrol vehicle. As he lay on the ground he took off his clothes including underwear, the court heard.
The officers called for reinforcements and the crazed man’s sister brought him a new set of clothes to cover up with before he was taken away by the authorities.
Several photographs of the policemen post-attack were attached to the court files, in which one appeared to have a blood-stained collar, and another had a red mark on his head from the assault. However, neither suffered serious or long-term injuries, the court heard.
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