Bahrain court reduces Briton's jail term

A Bahraini appeals court yesterday reduced from 15 years to seven the jail term of a British man convicted of stabbing to death an American last year, the defendant's lawyer said. Richard Mechan, from Gloucester, was found guilty of manslaughter and was jailed for 15 years by a Bahraini court last July. He appealed the sentence, saying he acted in self-defence.

Mechan's lawyer said after the appeal court ruling that the Briton's prison term could be reduced further. "They will deduct the arrest period from the seven years if he has a record of good behaviour in prison," he told reporters. Mechan will be deported after he serves his sentence.

American engineer Marshall Earl Emmons, 31, was knifed at a housing compound during a visit to Bahrain in January 2000. He had been working in the eastern Saudi Arabian city of Al Khobar, according to newspaper reports at the time. Mechan was also believed to be working in Al Khobar and was on holiday in Bahrain at the time of the stabbing. It was not clear if the two men worked for the same company.

gulf-news.com