Man handed 8-year jail term for attempted murder

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a February Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to eight years in prison after convicting him of attempting to murder a friend with a kitchen knife in December 2019.

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of stabbing the victim multiple times at his home in Baqaa Refugee Camp on December 19 following “a heated argument”. 

The defendant was handed a 12-year prison term but the court decided to reduce the sentence to eight years because the victim dropped charges.

Court papers said the victim and the defendant were in the company of other friends and consumed alcohol.

“An argument ensued and turned into a scuffle,” the court papers said.

The defendant went to his kitchen, grabbed a knife and “stabbed the victim once in the stomach and other parts of his body”, according to court papers.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital and survived the assault after undergoing surgery, the court papers added. 

Attending physicians at the hospital determined that the injuries were life-threatening and he survived due to medical interference.

The defendant contested his verdict through his lawyer charging that the prosecution office failed to provide solid evidence to implicate his client.

The defence also argued that the court relied in its conviction on contradictory statements by the witnesses.

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, Majid Azzab, Fawzi Nahar, Hayel Amr and Qassem Dughmi.