Two-year jail term upheld for man who ‘accidentally’ killed teen sister

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a March Criminal Court ruling sentencing a man to two years in prison after convicting him of accidentally killing his teenage sister while cleaning his gun in Irbid in August 2014.

The court declared the defendant guilty of shooting his 19-year-old sister on August 31. She died in October of the same year from wounds to the head she sustained from the bullet.

The tribunal also decided to amend the premeditated murder charges originally pressed against the defendant to a misdemeanor charge of accidental death, “because the court concluded that the shooting happened while the defendant was cleaning his weapon and there was no foul play”.

Court papers said that the defendant bought an unlicensed gun home six months prior to the incident.

On the day of the incident, the court maintained, “the defendant was sitting with two of his sisters in their tent cleaning his gun when a bullet was accidentally discharged, striking his sister’s head”.

“The defendant rushed out of the tent and informed his relatives that he shot his sister and headed to the nearest police station and turned himself in and handed the gun to officers on duty,” according to the nine-page court documents.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where she died almost a month after being admitted.  

The higher court stated late last month that the Criminal Court’s general attorney did not provide any evidence to corroborate his claims that the murder was committed in a “premeditated fashion”.

The Cassation Court ruled that the Criminal Court’s proceedings were accurate and correct and the defendant received the appropriate punishment.

The Cassation Court comprised of judges Yassin Abdullat, Bassim Mubeidin, Daoud Tubeleh, Mohammad Beirudi and Mohammad Tarawneh.