Man charged with manslaughter for murder of 6-year-old boy

AMMAN — The Criminal Court prosecutor on Saturday charged a 32-year-old Egyptian man with manslaughter in connection with the murder of a child in Baqaa refugee camp last week, official sources said.

The six-year-old child was reported missing by his family on June 17 after he failed to show up at his aunt’s house, Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said.

“A special team was formed to investigate the disappearance of the child and K-9 Unit dogs located the child’s body prompting investigators to conclude that the Egyptian national was the primary suspect after receiving a tip-off,” Sartawi said.

In his preliminary questioning by Criminal Court Prosecutor Mahmoud Smadi, the suspect, who worked at a restaurant in the camp, claimed that the child “uttered offensive remarks at him prompting him to slap him in the face”, according to a senior judicial source who is close to the investigations.

“The suspect claimed that the child fell and died so he panicked and did not know what to do, so he took the victim’s body to his small apartment and informed one of his friends who notified the authorities,” the judicial source told The Jordan Times.

The source added that the prosecution office is waiting to receive the final report from the National Institute of Forensic Medicine (NIFM) to determine if “further charges could be levelled against the suspect”.

Meanwhile, Smadi ordered that the suspect remain in custody at a correctional and rehabilitation centre for 15 days pending further investigation.