Man charged with manslaughter in connection with death of wife

AMMAN — The Criminal Court prosecutor, on Thursday, charged a man with manslaughter in connection with the alleged murder of his wife in an Amman neighbourhood one day prior, official sources said.

The victim was allegedly beaten to death following a domestic dispute in Jweideh, Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said.

“The suspect used a blunt object in the attack, and was arrested shortly after the incident occurred,” Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

The victim’s body was transferred to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine for autopsy, he said.

In his initial testimony to the Criminal Court prosecutor, the suspect claimed that he “beat his wife following a domestic dispute”, a second source, who is close to the investigations, said.

The wife fainted, the source told The Jordan Times, and “the husband claimed that he tried to wake her up, but she was unresponsive”.

“The suspect said he called the Civil Defence Department, but when emergency medical personnel arrived, they discovered that the victim was dead,” the second source added.

The suspect claimed during his testimony that he used a “blunt object and a water hose in the alleged incident”, according to the second source.

Sartawi said investigations are ongoing. 

Meanwhile, the suspect was ordered to be detained at a correctional and rehabilitation centre by the Criminal Court prosecutor for 15 days, pending further investigation, the second source said.

According to 2021 statistics published by the Department of Statistics, around 26 per cent of Jordanian wives aged between 15 and 49 were abused by their husbands, while only 1 per cent of husbands have been abused by their wives. The reported abuse covers emotional, physical and sexual abuse, according to the DoS statistics.