Wanted man jailed for attempting to murder police officers

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a June Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a wanted man to over seven years in prison after convicting him of attempting to murder several police officers and resisting arrest in Mafraq in July 2019. 

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of shooting at a police force that was attempting to arrest him on July 2 and handed him a 15-year prison term.

However, the court decided to reduce the sentence to half because the victims dropped charges against the defendant.

Court papers said the defendant was wanted on murder charges and a police force was dispatched to arrest him.

“The defendant barricaded himself inside his house and refused to surrender although his wife and children were inside the house with him,” court papers said

The police force asked the defendant to surrender but he responded “by opening fire towards the arresting team,” the court papers added. 

None of the police officers were injured because they hid behind their vehicles and “the defendant’s weapon malfunctioned after firing several rounds,” according to court documents.

Several police officers asked him to surrender and he finally surrendered, the court documents added.

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, Yassin Abdullat, Nayef Samarat, Qassem Dughmi and Hammad Ghzawi.