Bahraini Court Slashes Briton’s Prison Term

A Briton convicted of manslaughter had his 15-year sentence reduced to seven years by a Bahraini court on Tuesday, reported the Gulf Daily News. 

Richard Mechan, 35, of Gloucester, England, was convicted last July of stabbing to death US Marshall Earl Emmons, in a fight at a housing compound in Bar Bar in Manama. 

He appealed the conviction, claiming self-defense. 

Although the maximum sentence for manslaughter is seven years, Mechan was given 15 years because he was drunk at the time of the killing, which was seen as an aggravating factor, said the paper. 

The higher court ruled that the conviction should stand, but reduced his sentence to seven years. 

This will include the time he has already served since he was taken into custody immediately after the killing last January. 

Mechan’s lawyer, Taimoor Karimi, said that the defense had not yet decided whether to take the appeal to the Court of Cassation. 

“His sentence was reduced to seven years, minus the time he already spent in custody. This means that he will serve about five and a half more years,” said Karimi. 

"We haven’t yet decided whether the case is worth taking to the Court of Cassation. We have to think about that," he added – Albawaba.com