10-year jail term upheld for repeat offender who molested woman in elevator

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a May Criminal Court decision sentencing a repeat offender to 10 years in prison after convicting him of molesting a woman in an elevator in Amman in  May 2016.

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of sexually assaulting a 43-year-old woman after forcing her into an elevator and handed him an eight-year prison term.

The tribunal decided to increase the prison term by two years because the defendant was a repeat offender.

On May 4 last year, the victim was returning home around 10:30pm and, when she entered her building, “the defendant followed her and forced her into the elevator”, court papers said.

“The defendant attempted to undress the victim and beat her up so he could control her but she fought back and screamed for help,” according to court papers.

In the meantime, the defendant “grabbed the victim’s private parts while pinning her on the elevator’s floor,” court papers added.

Residents of the building rushed to the elevator and managed to rescue the woman. They held the defendant until police came and arrested him, the court added.

The convicted man had contested the ruling, stating that “he confessed to the act and asked for the court’s mercy and therefore should get a reduced sentence”.

The defendant also argued through his lawyer that he should not have an increase sentence “since he was convicted of theft and illegal narcotics charges in the past, not a sexual-related offence”.

However, the Criminal Court general attorney had asked the higher court to uphold the original verdict stating that the court followed the proper legal channels in its ruling.

The Cassation Court, which issued its ruling late last month, ruled that the Criminal Court’s ruling fell within the law, the proceedings were proper and that the sentence given was satisfactory.

The Cassation Court tribunal comprised of judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Mohammad Tarawneh, Naji Zubi and Basem Mubeidin.