Man jailed for beating wife to death

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a November Criminal Court decision sentencing a Syrian man to seven years in prison after convicting him of beating his wife to death in Madaba in September 2017.

The Criminal Court handed the defendant the maximum sentence after convicting him of beating and killing his 27-year-old Syrian wife on September 9.

Court documents said the defendant and the victim, who were Zaatari refugee camp residents, got married two years before the incident and moved to Madaba.

“The defendant was used to beating his wife on a regular basis and was tough with her,” court papers said.

On September 9, the court maintained, the defendant and the victim engaged in a heated argument and "he beat his wife, dragged her by her hair and hit her hard on her forehead with his fist".

The defendant left the room and "did not speak to his wife again that evening", court documents added.

The following day, the victim felt dizzy and was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival, court papers said.

Police questioned the husband and arrested him based on his testimony and the autopsy results, court papers said.

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

The defendant contested the court ruling arguing that he should receive a lesser charge "because he did not intend to kill his wife and his intention was only to harm her when he beat her up".

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 defendant did not intend to kill his wife and that she died as a result of the injury on her head caused by the beating of her husband,” the higher court ruled.

The Cassation Court tribunal comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Nayef Samarat, Naji Zu’bi and Hammad Ghzawi.