Saudi man gets jail in bid to kill wife

Manama

A Saudi man accused of trying to kill his Saudi wife and sister-in-law by burning down their home has been sent to three years in jail. The High Criminal Court's verdict came despite the wife waiving her right to prosecute her husband on account of giving birth to a baby. 

The Saudi woman, aged 20, earlier told prosecutors that her Saudi husband, 26, had poured petrol on their East Riffa apartment and set it ablaze last August while she was at home with her sister. She said the incident had started when they got into a heated argument over her husband's drinking habits. 

She explained  "I was at my sister's home in East Riffa when he came knocking at 10pm after I ignored his repeated phone calls.   "I opened the door and he barged into the apartment shouting and asking me why I was ignoring his phone calls.” 

"I tried to escape from his grip but he twisted my arm. My sister, who came to my rescue, kicked him out. He then went away after threatening us,” she said.

"I went to sleep, but at 5am my sister woke me up and we saw the apartment set on fire by my husband. We were nearly killed in the blaze and I was sustained an arm injury when I fell unconscious due to smoke inhalation,” she added.

Having given birth to a child, the woman came back to the court on March 30 and gave a plea to the judges to immediately release the “father of her child”.