Teenaged murderer’s jail term cut on appeal

The High Criminal Appeals Court has upheld the conviction of a Bahraini teenager accused of murdering a fellow national, though it reduced his jail term from 15 years in prison to seven years. The accused teenager was tried in connection with killing of Hussain Al Asfoor, in his early 20s, on June 1, 2015, during a fatal brawl.

The defendant claimed earlier he had stabbed his defendant to death in his chest after the latter sprayed foam on his face. The pair engaged in the fatal quarrel when a religious celebration was taking place, and according to the defendant’s statement, it had begun with jokes.

“I filled my palm with flour and I poured it on him after he had sprayed the foam, and he reacted with attacking me,” the defendant told prosecutors. “I returned to my car, from which I took a knife and headed to him and I stabbed him,” he added. The defendant was with his friend during the time of the incident and the latter claimed that he had wanted to block his way when he saw him holding a knife, but the 19-year-old threatened to stab him too.