Man handed 20-year prison term for murder

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld an April Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to 20 years in prison for murdering another man following a brawl in Mafraq in July 2019.

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of murdering the victim following a brawl on July 1, and handed him the maximum sentence.

According to court papers, the defendant engaged in a “heated argument” with the victim and some of his relatives over old feuds.

Several more people gathered and the argument turned into a brawl, according to court papers.

"The victim and some of his family members threw rocks at the defendant’s house," the court documents said.

The defendant drew a machine gun and fired some rounds in the air to warn the victim, the court said.

However, the victim continued throwing rocks, “which prompted the defendant to point the weapons in his direction and he shot him”, according to court papers.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead upon arrival, court papers added.

The defendant contested the verdict through his lawyer, arguing that “his client should benefit from a reduction in penalty because he killed the victim to protect himself”.

“My client killed the victim in self-defence that resulted from the brawl,” the defence argued.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the 20-year sentence.

The higher court ruled that the Criminal Court proceedings had been accurate and that the defendant was given the appropriate punishment.

The Cassation Court bench comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Fawzi Nahar, Majid Azab, Yassin Abdullat and Ahmad Qatawneh.