Man sentenced to 5 years for sexually abusing minor

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a January 2022 Criminal Court ruling sentencing a man to five years in prison after convicting him of molesting his niece in Amman in April 2021.

The defendant was convicted of sexually assaulting his 14-year-old niece while at her aunt’s home, and was sentenced with the maximum punishment. 

Court papers said the victim and defendant were alone in their aunt’s home.

“The defendant asked the victim to jump on his back and ended up pinning her to the ground,” according to the court transcripts. 

The defendant sexually assaulted the teenage girl, according to the court.

“The victim pushed him away and left the house, but did not report the incident to anyone since the defendant was her uncle,” according to the court papers.

A few months after the incident, the victim informed her father, who immediately alerted the authorities.

The defendant contested the Criminal Court’s ruling through his lawyer, asking to be declared innocent and arguing that the “victim’s testimony was contradictory”.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Court’s general attorney asked the higher court to uphold the verdict against the defendant.

The Court of Cassation ruled that the verdict was correct and the defendant deserved the ruling he had received. 

The Cassation Court comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Majid Azab, Fawzi Nahar, Ibrahim Abu Shamma and Hayel Amr.