AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a January 2024 Criminal Court ruling sentencing a man to eight years in prison after convicting him of attempting to murder a man during a brawl in the Jordan Valley in March 2019.

 

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of attempting to murder the 32-year-old victim on March 28 and handed him a 12-year prison term.

 

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

 

Court papers said the victim and the defendant had old feuds.

 

On the day of the incident, the court maintained, the victim went to a coffee shop where the defendant worked.

 

An employee at the defendant’s coffee place tried to prevent the victim from entering “by using a wooden stick," court documents said.

 

However, the victim pushed his way inside the place, which prompted the defendant to point a shotgun at him, according to court papers.

 

“The defendant shouted at the victim to stop, but he did not respond and kept walking towards him, so he fired one shot, striking the victim in the foot,” the court added.

 

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where he underwent surgery on his foot, the court papers added.

 

The defendant contested the ruling via his lawyer, arguing that there were “legal errors in the investigation procedures”.

 

Meanwhile, 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.

 

The Cassation Court bench comprised judges Najji Zubi, Nayef Samarat, Hammad Ghzawi, Mohammad Shreiri, and Mohammad Khashashneh.