Court upholds 17-year jail term for man over attempting to murder police officers

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a June 2022 Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a repeated offender to 17 years in prison after convicting him of attempting to murder several police officers in June 2018.

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of firing at police officers while on duty on June 13.

The defendant was handed a 15-year prison term by the tribunal.

However, the court decided to increase the prison term to 17 years because the defendant was a repeated offender.

Court papers said the police received information that the defendant and some family members were digging illegal wells.

 "A police force headed to the area and seized a digging rig and placed it on a trailer for booking," court documents said.

When the police force left the area with the trailer, they noticed four vehicles that were following them, court papers said.

The minute the four vehicles approached the police vehicle, the defendant appeared from the window and fired several rounds at the law-enforcement vehicle, court transcripts added.

One of the bullets struck the back tire of the police vehicle, according to court papers.

No one was injured in the shooting incident.

The defendant did not contest his ruling at a higher court.

The Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the 17-year sentence 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 Mahmoud Ebtoush, Nayef Samarat, Hammad Ghzawi and Mohammad Khashashneh.