Man gets 4 years in jail for murder attempt

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a February Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to four years in prison after convicting him of attempting to murder a man in Amman in June 2019. 

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of shooting the victim in the stomach on June 24 following “a heated argument” and handed him a six-year prison term. 

However, the court decided to reduce the prison term to four years because the victim dropped the charges against the defendant. 

Court papers said the victim received a call from his father to head to the defendant’s home to solve an outstanding problem.

The victim headed to the defendant’s home to discuss the matter and an argument ensued, according to court documents.

“The defendant pulled a gun and fired several rounds towards the victim striking him in the stomach,” court papers said.

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

The attending physicians at the hospital determined that the injuries did not constitute any threat to his life since “the bullet did not penetrate any vital organs”.

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

The defence also argued that the evidence provided by the prosecution office were “contradictory”.

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 Cassation Court bench comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Hayel Amr, Majid Azab, Fawzi Nahar and Nayef Samarat.