Man jailed for sexually assaulting minor girl

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a December Criminal Court ruling, which sentenced a man to an increased prison term after convicting him of sexually assaulting a minor in May of last year.

The court declared the defendant guilty of sexually assaulting the 15-year-old girl on several occasions in Aqaba and Zarqa and handed him a seven-year prison term.

The court decided to add an additional 28 months in prison because the victim was “a virgin”.

Court papers said the defendant and the victim met in a vegetable market in Aqaba and became friends.

Their relationship developed and they engaged in sexual activities in an apartment in Aqaba in mid-May, court paper said.

 “The couple then travelled to Zarqa and they stayed in an apartment for a while until they were found and a complaint was filed against the defendant,” according to the court document.

The Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the sentence against the defendant "because the punishment he received was proper".

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

It was proven to the court that the defendant willingly confessed to engaging in sexual activities with the minor and therefore deserves the punishment he had received, the higher court ruled.

The SSC added that even if the victim "engaged in sexual activities willingly, under the Jordanian Penal Code she is considered a minor", according to court documents.

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Fawzi Nahar, Majid Azab, Nayef Samarat and Hayel Amr.