Custody of man in murder case extended

A Bahraini father, accused of punching his three-month-child to death, appeared before the High Criminal Court yesterday.

He pleaded not guilty, but a remand judge ordered him to be kept in police custody for 15 days, pending his trial.

The defendant was initially held in custody with his GCC wife for causing the death of the boy, whose Arab mother was divorced by his father and eventually left Bahrain after problems surfaced between them.

The stepmother of the child and his father exchanged blames for the crime before a medical report confirmed the responsibility of the latter.

According to court files, the child was taken to hospital with head injuries and vomiting. He succumbed to his wounds after four days.