Maximum punishment for man who robbed local bank in Amman

AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) on Wednesday sentenced a 57-year-old man to 15 years in prison after convicting him of robbing a local bank in a busy street in Amman in April.

The court declared the defendant guilty of theft and conducting activities that would endanger the safety of society, disturbing public order, spreading fear among citizens and jeopardising economic resources and handed him the maximum punishment.

Presiding Judge Col. Mohammad Afif told The Jordan Times that the SSC tribunal decided to hand the defendant the maximum punishment “because of the perilous nature of his crime and its potential harm to the economy”.

“What the defendant did was a dangerous act that caused fear among the public and the bank employees and endangered their lives, so we strongly believe that he deserves the maximum punishment in this case as a method of deterrence,” Afif stressed.

The defendant was standing trial before the SSC on charges related to the armed robbery of the Arab Bank on April 8. He escaped with JD16,000 in cash.

Court papers said the defendant, who was wearing a hoody, entered the branch at Mecca Street around 8:40am carrying a bag and demanded cash claiming that he was carrying explosives.

Upon arresting him, police managed to retrieve JD10,000 of the stolen cash and established that the bag the defendant claimed to be filled with explosives contained regular items that were not dangerous to the public.

Wednesday’s verdict will automatically be reviewed by the Court of Cassation within the next 30 days.