Ammon News - The Cassation Court has upheld a November Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to eight years in prison after convicting him of attempting to murder a man in Amman in July 2019.

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of stabbing the victim in the chest with a sharp object in an eastern neighbourhood of Amman on July 10 following “a heated argument” and handed him a 12-year prison term.

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

Court papers said the victim was returning home with his wife when he saw a car blocking the entrance leading to his house.

The defendant honked the horn to draw the attention of the vehicle’s owner, court papers said.

The owner of the vehicle, who is the defendant, rushed to his vehicle and an argument ensued, the court added.

“The defendant drew a sharp object and struck the victim on his face and stabbed him once in the chest,” according to court papers.

The victim survived the assault after undergoing surgery on his chest at a nearby hospital, the court papers added.

However, attending physicians at the hospital determined that the injuries were life-threatening and he survived because of medical interference.

The defendant contested the Criminal Court’s ruling arguing that the “prosecution failed to provide solid evidence to convict him with the charges”.

The defence also argued that the incident was a “normal scuffle between people and, therefore, the attempted murder condition does not exist in this case”.

The Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the ruling.

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 Mohammad Ibrahim, Majid Azab, Nayef Samarat, Hayel Amr and Mohammad Khashashneh.