Man who tried to kill neighbour over parking dispute loses appeal

TDT | Manama

The First Supreme Court of Appeal yesterday upheld the punishment of a Bahraini man who was earlier convicted of attempting to murder his neighbour because of a dispute over a parking spot here last year. The appellant was sentenced by a first degree court to seven years of imprisonment, after deliberating the case for more than one year over uncertainty with regards to his mental competence.

Medical reports eventually proved that he was mentally fit and responsible for his actions. The 23-year-old had reportedly stabbed his neighbour, a 48-year-old Bahraini man, multiple times and escaped before the arrival of the authorities. The incident took place in February last year in a residential neighbourhood in the town of Galali.

Investigations showed that the perpetrator stabbed the victim a few hours after they were both involved in a verbal dispute over a parking spot in the area. He was arrested later on the same day, while the victim was rushed to the hospital. Investigations further revealed that the appellant had the intention to kill the victim, as he prepared a knife for this purpose and monitored the victim’s movements.

He reportedly stabbed the victim and continued stabbing him with the intention of killing him and later fled the scene, leaving the victim in a pool of blood. Following claims about his mental incompetence, the court ordered to admit him to the psychiatric hospital.

The hospital’s report mentioned that the defendant does not suffer from any organic diseases or auditory hallucinations; however, it showed that he suffers from a slight mental retardation and cannot judge complex or medium matters. It was also shown that the defendant has a file at the hospital since 2011, but he has not followed up with the hospital on a regular basis. The report indicated that he was fully aware and responsible of his actions at the time he committed the crime.