Woman blinded after husband gouges her eyes — sources

AMMAN — A 25-year-old woman who was reportedly left 100 per cent blind by her husband last week in Jerash is recovering at King Hussein Medical Centre, official sources said.

The victim, a mother of three, was reportedly attacked by her 31-year-old husband while at their home on Wednesday, a senior judicial source and a close relative of the victim told The Jordan Times.

"The husband gouged the victim's eyes and she was rushed to a nearby hospital where attending doctors ruled that the woman had lost her entire vision as a result of the assault," the senior judicial source said.

The victim's husband was ordered to be detained on Thursday by the Jerash Criminal Court prosecutor, according to the judicial source.

"The prosecutor is currently waiting on medical reports to decide what charges to level against the defendant," the judicial source said.

The charges could range from attempted murder to the crime of causing a permanent disability, the judicial source said, adding that the prison term for causing a permanent disability could range from five to 10 years in prison.

The police refused to reveal any details about the incident.

The incident sent shockwaves across Jordan, with many Jordanians using their social media accounts to express their anger and disbelief.

Aseel Alqudah wrote on her Facebook page: "May God damn this man for what he did to his wife.  She is now a mother who will never be able to see her children again in her life."

"Keep teaching men in our society that women are second-class citizens and they are only born to get married and have children in our society of chastity and virtue," Alqudah added.

Nihad Batayneh wrote on her Facebook page: "May you become blind yourself. If you are a real man you would not lay a hand on your wife."

Ashraf Tahat added: "This is a backward and ignorant person… I just hope he gets a stiff prison sentence for what he did."