Bahrain man torches store after spat with wife
He was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to take pyschological tests
Manama: A Bahraini man has been sentenced to three years in prison after he was convicted of arson for setting a store ablaze to let off anger after a home dispute, Akhbar Al Khaleej newspaper has reported.
The case dates back to May 2017 when the front of a construction material store caught fire in the capital Manama, causing damage worth 3,000 Bahraini dirhams.
Investigations showed that the fire was intentional and police arrested the suspect, who admitted to the act, attributing it to his anger following a heated argument with his wife.
The man stormed out of his house at dawn after the argument and aimlessly wandered in streets until he sat next to the store where planks of wood coated with nylon were arrayed outside, the paper said.
“He lit up the coating.The fire extended to the wooden planks, the store placards and electric wiring,” the paper added.
Prosecutors ordered medical and psychological checks for the man, and results came to show he had no mental disorder.
He was charged with arson and imperiling people’s safety and property. Bahrain’s Major Criminal Court found him guilty and handed him the three-year jail sentence, according to the paper. An appeal against the verdict will be heard on September 30.