Cassation Court upholds 8-year sentence for man convicted of attempted murder

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a February Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to eight years in prison with hard labour after convicting him of attempting to murder a man in Zarqa in November 2023.

The Criminal Court declared the 23-year-old defendant guilty of attempted murder on Nov. 1 and handed him a 12-year prison term.

However, the court decided to reduce the sentence to eight years because the 22-year-old victim dropped charges against the defendant.

Court papers said the victim and the defendant had old feuds.

On the day of the incident, the court maintained, the two met at a barber’s shop in downtown Zarqa.

When the two met, they “immediately attacked each other,” according to court papers.

“The defendant drew a switchblade and stabbed the defendant once in the chest,” court transcripts said.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital and survived the stabbing incident due to medical interventions, the court added.

The defendant did not contest his verdict at a higher court.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the eight-year sentence.

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 Mahmoud Ebtoush, Nayef Samarat, Hammad Ghzawi, Qassem Dughmi, and Mohammad Khashashneh.