Man sentenced to 8 years in prison for molesting minor

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a December 2020 Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to eight years in prison after convicting him of molesting a boy in Amman in November 2019. 

The court declared the defendant guilty of molesting an eight-year-old boy in a deserted building on November 26 and handed him the maximum sentence.

Court papers said victim went shopping with his father when the defendant spotted him walking away.

“The defendant lured the boy to a deserted building where he sexually assaulted him," court transcripts said.

The defendant “threatened the victim and told him not to inform his family", court papers added.

The victim left and returned to his family and did not utter a word but his mother felt that he was not normal, the court maintained. 

“When his mother asked him what was wrong he informed her about the incident and they filed a complaint against him,” the court transcript stated.

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 defendant did not appeal his verdict.

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

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