Man receives 4 years in prison for molestation of woman

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a November Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to four years in prison after convicting him of molesting an Algerian woman in one of the governorates in November 2019.

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

Court papers said the victim was walking in the street with some of her friends on November 9 when the defendant approached her and convinced her to walk with him.

“The victim pulled the woman to a secluded area where he molested by force,” according to the court transcripts.

The victim immediately ran away and reported him to police, according to court papers.

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 depended on physical evidence, including to DNA, to prove that the defendant committed the crimes he was charged with,” the higher court ruled.

The Court of Cassation was headed by Judge Mohammad Ibrahim and included judges Saeed Mugheid, Nayef Samarat, Hayel Amr and Fawzi Nahar.