Man sentenced to over 3 years in prison for molesting minor

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a December Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to over three years in prison after convicting him of molesting a minor in Amman in 2020.

The court declared the defendant guilty of sexually assaulting the 14-year-old girl while at her home and handed him three years and six-month prison term.

Court papers said the defendant and the victim became friends via social media.

The two agreed to meet and the defendant went to her house.

"The defendant entered the house and locked the door and sexually molested the girl," court transcripts said.

The child screamed and her brother came to the rescue, the court documents added.

The victim's family filed a complaint at the Family Protection Department, according to court papers.

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 defence, meanwhile, asked the court to acquit his client because "the court relied on weak evidence".

However, 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 confessed willingly to sexually assaulting the minor and therefore deserves the punishment he had received, the higher court ruled.

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Majid Azab, Hammad Ghzawi, Yassin Abdullat and Nayef Samarat.