Man gets life sentence for murdering police officer

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a January Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to life in prison after convicting him of murdering a police officer in Muwaqqar in June 2018.

The court declared the defendant guilty of shooting and killing a police officer who worked for the Anti-Narcotics Department on June 4 and handed him the maximum punishment.

Four other defendants, who were standing trial on the same charges, were acquitted by the court for lack of evidence.

Court documents said the defendant was driving on the main road in Manshieh town with his brother when he saw the victim’s truck coming from the other direction.

"The victim, who was off duty, saw the defendant’s vehicle and drew his gun and fired one round in the air and sped off," court papers said.

The court made no mention as to why the victim drew his gun and fired one round in the air.

The defendant became enraged, the court maintained, and followed him.

When the defendant approached the victim’s vehicle, the court added, he drew a shotgun he kept in his vehicle and “aimed it at the victim’s truck and began shooting”.

“One of the bullets struck the victim in the head and he died while his brother escaped the shooting spree without any injuries," court papers said.

The defendant, through his lawyer, contested the court verdict arguing that there were "errors in the investigation procedures".

Meanwhile, the Criminal Court’s attorney general had asked the higher court to uphold the life sentence ruling stating that the court abided by the proper legal procedures when sentencing the defendant.

The Cassation Court ruled that the Criminal Court’s judgement fell within the law and that the proceedings were proper and the sentence given was satisfactory.

"The court relied on several witnesses and a criminal lab report that confirmed that the bullet extracted from the victim was a match to defendant’s shotgun," the higher court ruled.

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