Man gets over 2 years in jail for molesting woman

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a September Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to over two years in prison after convicting him of molesting a woman on the street in Amman in November 2019.

The court declared the defendant guilty of molestation charges and handed him the maximum sentence of four years.

However, the court decided to reduce the sentence to two years and eight months in prison because the victim dropped charges against the defendant.

Court papers said the victim was walking on the street on November 5 when the defendant approached her and grabbed her private parts.

“The victim screamed and threw her mobile phone at the defendant and he ran away,” according to the court transcripts.

The victim immediately headed to her family’s home and informed them of the sexual assault incident, according to court papers.

The victim’s family notified the police who visited the scene and reviewed a surveillance camera that was placed in the area, court documents said.

The surveillance footage documented the incident and the defendant was arrested, court papers added.

“The victim identified the defendant in a police line-up and he was referred to the concerned authorities,” the court papers added.

The defendant appealed his verdict through his lawyer claiming that the prosecution failed to provide any solid evidence to implicate him.

The defence also claimed that the victim provided contradictory statements, which could not be used as evidence against his client.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the sentence.

The higher court ruled that the Criminal Court proceedings were accurate and that the defendant was given the appropriate punishment.

The Court of Cassation was headed by Judge Mohammad Ibrahim and included judges Saeed Mugheid, Nayef Samarat, Hamad Ghzawi and Ahmad Qatawneh.