Man who sheltered fugitive loses final plea

TDT | Manama

The Court of Cassation has upheld the punishment of a Bahraini man who was earlier convicted, along with two others, of hiding a wanted fugitive from the police. The trio were charged by the Public Prosecution back in October of 2018 of willingly assisting an individual who is wanted for a crime punished by imprisonment and providing him with food and shelter.

The case was first reported when the concerned security authorities were tipped by secret sources about the location of the wanted individual, who was escaping from a seven-year jail term. Further investigations proved that the defendants helped the fugitive to stay off the police radar.

Two of them told prosecutors that the three of them coordinated amongst one another to hide the man and shelter him at a house in A’ali. They also confessed to joining forces to aid the fugitive, provide him with food and assist him in getting from one place to another, away from policemen’s sight.

A first degree court sentenced each one of the three men to three years in jail. The appellant pleaded not guilty before the Supreme Court of Appeals, which upheld the earlier punishment. His final appeal against the verdict was in vain as the Court of Cassation rejected it this week.