A court in Bahrain is reviewing a case involving a woman accused of starting a fire inside an apartment building in Juffair after allegedly claiming that voices in her head instructed her to burn her bed.
The 27-year-old Pakistani woman faces charges of deliberately setting fire to an inhabited property and endangering the lives of residents. Authorities said the incident took place in January and forced the evacuation of the residential building.
According to prosecutors, the woman used a lighter and a piece of clothing to ignite the bed before pouring oil around the apartment to intensify the flames. Property damage was estimated at around BD2,400.
Civil Defence teams later extinguished the fire and evacuated residents from the building. No injuries were reported.
During court proceedings, the defendant’s lawyer argued that the woman was suffering from severe psychological disturbances at the time of the incident and lacked criminal intent.
The defence told the court that the defendant believed the bed was possessed and claimed she was acting under hallucinations caused by voices in her head.
Her lawyer also stated that she had consumed alcohol before the incident and had a history of methamphetamine use, which he said could trigger psychosis and hallucinations.
According to the defence, the woman did not intend to damage property or harm residents but believed she was attempting to eliminate an imagined threat.
The attorney requested a new psychological evaluation after an earlier medical assessment concluded that the defendant was mentally fit to stand trial and could be held legally responsible for her actions.
Judges also heard testimony from a Bahraini security guard who said he received reports of smoke coming from the apartment before emergency services were contacted.
The defendant previously admitted during investigations that she started the fire before leaving the apartment.
The court has scheduled May 12 for the verdict in the case.
