Court upholds six-year sentence for man over sexually assaulting half-sister

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation upheld a July 2022 Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to over six years in prison after convicting him of sexually assaulting his half-sister in Balqa governorate. 

The court declared the defendant, 24, guilty of engaging in sexual activities with the victim since the age of eight.

The defendant was handed five years in prison for the molestation offence.

However, the court decided to increase the prison term to six years and eight months because the victim was his half-sister. 

Court papers said the defendant lived with the victim in the same house and he used to “sexually assault her when they were alone in the house since she was eight years old”.

“The victim did not inform her parents out of fear that no one would believe her,” court transcripts said.

In March 2020, the court maintained, the victim escaped from her family’s home following a heated argument with her parents. 

“The victim headed to a police patrol and informed them about the sexual assault that she endured for a long time,” according to the court transcripts. 

The police patrol took the victim to the Juvenile and Family Protection Department (JFPD), the court added.

JFPD officers summoned the defendant for interrogation and he “confessed to the multiple sexual assault incidents on his half-sister over around 10 years”.

The defendant retracted his confessions while on trial and contested his verdict through his lawyer claiming he was innocent.

The defence claimed that the victim “provided contradictory statements that should not be considered by the judges who issued the verdict”.

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 defendant confessed to the sexual assault incident when he was arrested,” the higher court ruled.

Therefore, the higher court ruled, that he deserved the punishment he received, the higher court added.

The Court of Cassation was headed by Judge Mohammad Ibrahim and included judges Majid Azab, Hayel Amr, Fawzi Nahar and Ibrahim Abu Shamma.