A Gulf national is standing trial for allegedly punching a restaurant’s security manager after being informed that smoking indoors was not permitted.
The 41-year-old defendant has been charged by the High Criminal Court with causing a 10 per cent permanent disability to the employee, having fractured his jaw, knocked out three teeth, and caused a nerve injury during the assault.
The defendant, along with a friend of the same nationality, has also been charged with publicly insulting the Bahraini victim in a manner deemed offensive to his honour and reputation.
Five security guards – four Bahraini and one Sudanese – are also on trial for being part of the altercation and exchanging blows with the two defendants, without causing lasting harm.
According to court documents, the incident took place at 2.30am at a high-end restaurant and bar in Zallaq.
“The Khaleeji defendants wanted to leave the restaurant’s terrace area and go to the reception, but they had cigarettes in their hands,” a 35-year-old Bahraini security guard – the fourth defendant – testified.
“They were stopped by my colleague (seventh defendant), who told them they couldn’t smoke indoors.
“I tried to stop the first defendant from entering, but he brought the cigarette close to my face, and I lowered his hand to move it away from me, and then he began reacting physically.”
The guards called their manager, a 42-year-old Bahraini, to handle the situation, and he asked the Gulf nationals to calm down, according to his colleagues’ testimonies. The security manager, who was both victim and defendant in the case, recounted the incident in court.
“I informed the guests that they couldn’t smoke, and one of them told me he would put out his cigarette on my face if I didn’t leave him alone,” the injured employee told prosecutors.
“Security guards intervened and held them back, which caused a state of agitation. There was pushing and shoving, and everyone collided with one another as the men tried to escape down the long hallway.
“Suddenly, I felt a blow from behind, and the first defendant punched me in the face. I believe he had a wristwatch wrapped around his fist to cause greater injury.”
The manager was left with a broken jaw and lost three teeth, with a fourth now unstable. Since the incident, he has also been suffering from facial numbness. A medical report stated that the blow affected a nerve that gives sensation to his face and jaw, leading to decreased sensitivity.
The injury was re-evaluated by doctors three months following the August incident. They determined that the assault left the man with a 10pc disability.
Another security guard, a 31-year-old Bahraini, claimed that the men were not only holding cigarettes, but also bottles of alcohol.
Meanwhile, the defendant said he was simply defending himself when he attacked the manager.
Judges have set February 24 as the date to issue a verdict in the case.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))