Man handed 8-year prison term for attempted murder of neighbour

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation upheld a December Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to eight years in prison after convicting him of attempting to murder his neighbour in September 2021.

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of attempted murder on September 3 and handed him a 12-year prison term.

However, the court decided to reduce the sentence to eight years because the victim dropped charges against the defendant.

Court papers said the defendant engaged in “a heated argument” with the victim accusing the latter of beating his relative with Down syndrome.

The argument became “heated”, and the defendant grabbed an iron bar and waved it in the air, the court documents said.

“The defendant struck the victim on the head and legs with the iron bar,” the court documents said. 

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital after suffering severe blunt trauma to the head, according to court papers.

“The victim survived the assault after undergoing several surgeries to the head,” the court said.

A physician estimated a four-month suspension for the victim as a result of his injuries, according to the court documents. 

The defendant did not appeal his verdict at a higher court. 

The Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the eight-year sentence.

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