Man jailed for robbery, assault

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld an April 2018 Court of Appeals ruling, sentencing a man to five years in prison after convicting him of robbing and assaulting a coffee shop employee in Irbid in 2015. 

The court declared the defendant guilty of robbing the victim of JD90 and assaulting him with a knife and handed him a 10-year prison term.

However, the court decided to reduce the sentence to half because the defendant was young and deserves “a second chance in life”. 

Court documents said the defendant, along with four others, who were also tried and sentenced on the same charges, went to a coffee shop in Irbid to have shisha. 

“The defendant and his friends left the coffee shop without paying their bill,” court papers said. 

The victim followed them to ask them to pay the bill and “they immediately attacked him with sharp objects and stole JD90 from his pockets and fled,” according to court papers.

“One of the defendants slashed the victim’s face with a knife causing a 12-centimetre wound,” the court added.

Police rushed to the coffee shop and arrested the defendants shortly after the assault took place, the court documents added.  

The defendant contested the court’s ruling through his lawyer, who argued that the court “did not provide solid evidence to implicate his client”.

“The court relied in conflicting testimonies that should work in favour of my client and, therefore, he should be acquitted,” the court papers said.

Meanwhile, the prosecution office asked the higher court to uphold the sentence and the fine imposed on the defendant.

The higher court maintained that the court had followed the proper procedures in issuing the sentences against the defendant.

The Court of Cassation judges presiding were Mohammad Ibrahim, Ahmad Katawneh, Mohammad Khashashneh, Hammad Ghzawi and Hayel Amr.