Man jailed for attempt to murder brother

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a May 2018 Criminal Court decision to sentence a man to 12 years in prison after convicting him of attempting to murder his brother in Zarqa in December  2017.

The Criminal Court handed the defendant the maximum sentence after convicting him of stabbing his 22-year-old brother following a dispute.

However, the tribunal decided to immediately reduce the sentence to eight years because the victim dropped charges against his brother.

Court documents said the defendant and the victim were at home on December 5 and were both "under the influence of alcohol".

An argument ensued and the defendant grabbed a switchblade and stabbed his brother twice in the chest.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital and was admitted to the surgery unit where he underwent several surgeries and his life was spared, according to court transcripts.

Meanwhile, police arrested the defendant and found a switchblade on him, court papers said.

"The weapon was sent to the criminal lab for analysis and the technicians there determined that the blood found on the switchblade belonged to the victim," according to court documents.

The Criminal Court’s attorney general  had asked the higher court to uphold the sentence against the defendant stating that the court abided by the proper legal procedures when sentencing the defendant.

The defendant contested the court ruling arguing that he “was under the influence of alcohol when the stabbing incident occurred”.

The defendant also argued that he stabbed his brother in a moment of rage "because he was defending himself and should get a reduction in penalty".

However, the Cassation Court ruled that the Criminal Court’s judgement fell within the law, that the proceedings were proper and that the sentence given was satisfactory.

“It was clear to the court that the victim did not commit any unlawful or dangerous act against the defendant and therefore, the defendant does not benefit from a reduction in penalty,” the higher court ruled.

The Cassation Court tribunal comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Saeed Mugheid, Bassem Mubeidin, Naji Zubi and Majid Azab.