AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a February Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to eight years in prison after convicting him of attempting to murder a bystander in Jerash in August of last year.

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of attempted murder on August 17 and handed him a 12-year prison term.

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

Court papers said that the victim headed to a shop in his neighbourhood to buy a pack of cigarettes.

He noticed a group of men fighting so he went to “stop them from fighting,” court papers said.

“The victim was surprised by the defendant who attacked him with an iron bar and stabbed him once in the stomach,” court papers added.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital and survived the assault incident after undergoing several surgeries, the court papers added.

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

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 Naji Zu'bi, Nayef Samarat, Hammad Ghzawi, Qassem Dughmi, and Mohammad Khashashneh.