Bahraini worker jailed for kissing woman's hands
Manama, July 9, 2014
A Bahraini man has been jailed for a month for kissing a British woman's hands.
Prosecutors said the maintenance worker, aged in his 40s, asked the woman to enter her home in Amwaj Islands to carry out work in May.
However, the 30-year-old woman had told him she did not call any servicing company, but she let him in when he insisted on examining the house for her own safety, reported the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.
The woman told prosecutors that on his way out the man touched her shoulder, took both her hands and kissed them.
She immediately took down the number plate of the service company vehicle the defendant was driving and reported him to the police.
According to Lower Criminal Court documents, the Bahraini was identified and arrested after police tracked down the car.
He confessed to the charges but told prosecutors he was just being a "gentleman" and did not mean to offend the woman.
"I was sent to carry out maintenance on the house and the British woman let me in to do my job," he said in his statement to the Public Prosecution.
"I might have accidentally touched her shoulder on the way out, but I did not mean to do anything wrong.
"On the way out I wanted to say sorry for bumping into her and I simply kissed her on her hands as a gentleman would do.
"I was surprised when I was arrested because I just kissed a woman's hands, which is a sign of respect and not an illegal act.
"I have seen it in movies and women do not get offended."
The British woman dropped the charges against him mid-trial, but the Lower Criminal Court continued with the case.
The judge convicted him of committing an indecent act and jailed him for 30 days yesterday. - TradeArabia News Service
