Man handed 8-year prison term for attempted murder

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a March Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a 20-year-old man to eight years in prison after convicting him of attempting to murder his 18-year-old friend in Zarqa in April of 2020. 

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of stabbing the victim with a knife on April 24 following “a heated argument”. 

The defendant was initially handed a 12-year prison term. However, the court reduced the sentence to eight years after the victim dropped charges against him.

Court papers said that the defendant and the victim were engaged in “a heated argument” the day before the incident.

“The two solved the issue, and each went to his home,” court papers said.

The court stated that the following day, “the two met again and started arguing, and they engaged in a scuffle”.

“The defendant drew a knife and stabbed the victim once in the stomach,” according to court documents.

The victim survived the assault after undergoing surgery on his stomach at a nearby hospital, the court papers added. 

Attending physicians at the hospital determined that the injuries were life-threatening and he survived due to medical intervention, according to the court documents.

The defendant contested the Criminal Court’s ruling, arguing that the “prosecution failed to provide solid evidence to convict him with the charges”.

The Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the ruling. 

The higher court ruled that the Criminal Court proceedings were accurate and that the defendant was given the appropriate punishment. 

The Cassation Court bench comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Majid Azab, Hayel Amt, Qassem Dughmi and Fawzi Nahar.