Man sentenced to 7 years in jail for robbery, arson

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a November 2019 Zarqa Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to seven years in prison after convicting him of robbing and setting an apartment ablaze in Zarqa in November 2018. 

The Zarqa Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of stealing a laptop, mobile phones, cash and gold pieces before setting the premises on fire on November 18 and handed him the maximum punishment.

Court papers said on the night of the incident, the defendant managed to break into the plaintiff’s domicile in Duleil area and robbed it before setting the place on fire to conceal his crime.

The owner returned to his apartment to find it burnt and was later notified by investigators that it was vandelised, court papers said.

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

The defence lawyer also charged that the court relied on “contradictory statements” by the witnesses.

Meanwhile, the Zarqa Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the ruling. 

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

The Cassation Court bench comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Hammad Ghzawi, Nayef Samarat and Qassem Dughmi.