Grandfather handed death sentence for raping 12-year-old granddaughter

AMMAN — The Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced a 56-year-old grandfather to death for raping his granddaughter in July 2014, judicial sources said.

The defendant stood motionless upon hearing the verdict read out by the tribunal, a senior judicial source noted.

“He did not utter a word or make any noise when hearing his death sentence,” the source told The Jordan Times.

The victim, who was 12 when the one-time assault occurred, became pregnant and informed her family of the incident, the court verdict said.

“The victim’s mother took her daughter to the Family Protection Department and DNA samples sent to the criminal lab led to the arrest of the defendant,” the court added.

The defendant’s son attempted to drop charges against his father during the court session on Tuesday but the tribunal rejected his request, a second judicial source said.

“The tribunal rejected his request because the Penal Code does not allow anyone to drop charges against a defendant in cases of rape of children who are under the age of 15,” the second judicial source explained.

Court papers said the victim’s mother sent food with her daughter for her grandfather during Ramadan.

“The defendant asked the victim to stay the night and he sexually assaulted her,” the court said.

The defendant asked the victim to refrain from informing her family of what happened, according to the court.

The victim was forced to inform her family when she believed she might be pregnant, the court added.

The defendant had denied the rape accusations in earlier hearings, the judicial sources said.

The sources added that the court relied on DNA tests that indicated that the defendant was the biological father of the child.

The tribunal comprised judges Ibrahim Bawareed, Ramzi Nawayseh and Nael Emoush.

Criminal Court Prosecutor Issam Haddidi had asked the court to inflict the maximum punishment on the defendant.

The verdict will automatically be reviewed at the Cassation Court within the next 30 days.