Man sentenced to over 8 years in prison for attempted murder

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a September Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a repeat offender to eight years and eight months in prison after convicting him of attempting to murder a man during a wedding in Irbid in February 2020.

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of attempted murder, stemming from “a heated argument” with the victim and handed him a 15-year prison term.

However, the court decided to reduce the sentence to eight years and eight months because the victim dropped charges against the defendant.

Court papers said that the defendant and the victim were attending a wedding when the argument broke out.

“The defendant drew a switchblade and stabbed the victim in the head and stomach then fled,” court documents said.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital and underwent surgery that saved his life, court documents stated.

The defendant contested the verdict through his lawyer, claiming that he had no intention of murdering the suspect.

The defendant also claimed that the victim’s injuries were “superficial stemming from an instant fight”.

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 Court of Cassation was headed by Judge Mohammad Ibrahim and included judges Yassin Abdullat, Nayef Samarat, Mohammad Khashashneh and Hamad Ghzawi.