Man sentenced to 14 years after attempted murder using box cutter

AMMAN — The Cassation Court upheld a February Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to 14 years in prison after convicting him of attempting to murder his 40-year-old neighbour in Tafileh in June of 2021. 

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of slashing the victim’s neck with a box cutter on June 17 following “a heated argument”. 

Court papers said the defendant and the victim had constant problems over matters related to the two being neighbours.

On the day of the incident, the two engaged in "a heated argument".

“The argument turned into a scuffle and the defendant grabbed a box cutter that was in his pocket and slashed the victim’s neck with it,” court papers said

The victim survived the assault after undergoing surgery to his neck at a nearby hospital, the court papers added. 

Attending physicians at the hospital determined that the injuries were life-threatening and he survived due to medical intervention.

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

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. 

“There were several people in the area who witnessed the assault on the victim by the defendant,” the higher court ruled.

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