Rehabilitation centre worker cleared of abuse charges

Daily Tribune

3 days ago

TDT | Manama
A man accused of mistreating children with disabilities at a rehabilitation centre has been acquitted by the Minor Criminal Court.
The case was filed by the Ministry of Social Development, whose inspectors accused the worker of physically and mentally harming more than five children. The allegations were partly supported by security camera footage and witness testimonies.
Prosecutors reviewed the footage, questioned the head of the centre and the judicial officer who filed the complaint, and eventually referred the case to trial. The defendant denied all charges during questioning.
In court, defence lawyer Abeer Abdulrahman argued that the claims failed to meet the legal definition of abuse under Article 40 of Bahrain's 2021 Law on Restorative Justice for Children. She maintained that the actions seen in the video clips did not amount to mistreatment.
She also challenged the legitimacy of the report, stating it was filed by an unauthorised person and that no professional assessment of the children had been conducted. A defence witness who worked alongside the accused testified that he only assisted the children physically and showed no signs of wrongdoing. The lawyer further pointed out that the surveillance clips, which ranged from five to twenty seconds in length, were too short to prove misconduct.
Abdulrahman noted that the defendant had no prior complaints from parents or centre management and was generally well regarded.
She concluded that the case lacked solid evidence and relied on speculation. The court ultimately agreed and dismissed the charges.