10-year prison sentence upheld for man who sexually assaulted 13-year-old

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a February Criminal Court ruling sentencing a repeated sex offender to 10 years in prison after convicting him of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in Madaba Governorate in August 2014.

The Criminal Court found the man guilty of using force to molest the victim, who was 13 years old at the time of the assault, sentencing him to seven years in prison.

Since the defendant was a repeat offender, the court maintained, “the tribunal decided to increase his punishment by three years”.

On the day of the attack, August 7, 2014, the victim was with her mother and older sister, court papers said, adding that the family was standing near Madaba Bridge at around 8pm, trying to find a vehicle to take them to the Qastal area.

“The defendant pulled over and offered them a ride to Qastal, in return for a fee,” court papers said.

On the way to Qastal, the court maintained, the man claimed that his vehicle broke down, asking “the victim’s mother and sister to step outside and push the car.”

“When they stepped out of the vehicle, the defendant sped away with the victim and drove to a secluded area, where he forcefully sexually molested her,” court papers said.

After the attack, the man dropped the child off and left, the court added.

“The victim walked aimlessly at night until she spotted a police station and informed officers on duty what had happened to her,” the court noted.

The victim was transferred to the Family Protection Department, where her family filed a complaint against the man. 

Doctors also took swabs from the victim’s body, which provided evidence that the court would later base its ruling on.

It was established that DNA evidence taken from the victim “belonged to the defendant”, according to the 12-page verdict.

The attacker had contested the Criminal Court ruling, claiming that his actions with the victim were consensual.

However, the higher court ruled late last month that the Criminal Court’s proceedings were accurate and correct and the attacker received the appropriate punishment.

The court comprised judges Yassin Abdullat, Daoud Tubeleh, Mohammad Tarawneh, Mohammad Baroudi and Bassem Mubeidin.