Cop attacker’s prison term replaced with social service

The Supreme Criminal Court of Appeal yesterday ordered a Bahraini man who’s convicted of assaulting an on-duty policeman to do community service, replacing his one-year jail term. The 18-year-old attacked the cop, who was guarding the eastern gates of Bahrain National Stadium in Isa Town after the latter tried to stop him from using the entrance doors to exit while a match was still ongoing, in violation of the stadium’s safety rules and regulations.

Justifying himself, the defendant claimed in the interrogation that a stampede occurred near the gate and he threw random punches around without acknowledging that it was the cop he was hitting. The defendant also claimed that the policeman hit him several times in the face and head.

When confronted by the interrogators about tearing the cop’s uniform, the defendant said he was losing balance and grabbed the policeman’s shirt so he wouldn’t fall to the ground.