Court fines truant Witness BD50

A witness was fined BD50 for not attending the court hearing of an expat accused of physically assaulting an on-duty cop.

The officer was in a police patrol car alongside a colleague and the incident happened when they spotted the free-visa Asian man entering a vehicle parked on the sidewalk of the road. They went to him to examine his ID card, but the accused attempted to run away as his work permit was invalid.

 "We were patrolling the area of Gufool when we saw him (the defendant) getting inside a car. We went to him to inspect his papers and see if he has a valid residency permit or not," the cop said in his statement.

"We sensed that he was planning an escape and so we blocked his door," he added.  In spite of that, the suspect reportedly attempted to flee, and attacked the officers later. One of the officer injured his left feet and his face in the assault.

The Asian, however, gave a different account of the event.

"I was heading to Riffa, and two strangers suddenly signaled to stop the car. They asked for my ID card and I told them it was at home. But all of a sudden they pulled me out the car and attacked me," the accused said.

"I tried to defend myself, but one of them bit my finger and punched my left eye. Then they handcuffed me before introducing themselves as cops," he added.

The Asian is charged with attacking an on duty cop as well as living in Bahrain illegally. His trial, which is being heard before the High Criminal Court, was adjourned until November 12 to hear the witness.