He says self-defence, She says jealousy: Bahraini man in court for hotel brawl with Arab man

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

A Bahraini man is facing criminal charges in the High Criminal Court for allegedly assaulting an Arab man, causing a permanent injury to his neck. The incident reportedly stemmed from a dispute over an Asian woman.

The defendant has denied the charges, claiming that he acted in self-defense after the victim initiated the attack. The defendant’s lawyer, Najla Baqer, requested an adjournment to review the case file and prepare a defense. The court granted the request and set May 26th for the next hearing.

The Public Prosecution has accused the defendant of assaulting the victim, causing injuries described in the forensic report. The assault resulted in a permanent disability of 2%, although the defendant did not intend to cause such an injury.

Injury

The victim testified that he was at a hotel to drop off his girlfriend when the defendant approached and grabbed her hand. The girl resisted, and the victim intervened. The defendant allegedly struck the victim’s head with a glass cup, causing it to break but not causing any injury.

The victim then pushed the defendant away to prevent further attacks. “Then he struck me with the remaining shard of the glass cup on the right side of my neck and punched me several times on the left side of my face. He stopped the assault when he saw blood coming from my neck,” the victim told prosecutors. 

Altercation

A hotel security guard also testified, stating that he witnessed the altercation between the victim and the defendant. The guard claimed that the victim grabbed the defendant’s shirt and punched him in the face, prompting the defendant to retaliate with the glass cup to the victim’s neck.

The victim then left the scene. The Public Prosecution noted that the defendant admitted to the assault during the investigation. The forensic report confirmed the victim’s injury, describing it as a deep laceration on the right side of the neck.

The report concluded that the injury could have been caused by the edge of a broken glass cup, consistent with the victim’s account and the timeline of events. Additionally, a nerve conduction examination revealed damage to the right greater auricular nerve, resulting in a 2% permanent disability. The defendant’s criminal record also showed previous convictions for similar offenses.