Man gets 7-year jail term for abusing minor

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a September Criminal Court ruling sentencing a man to seven years after convicting him of engaging in consensual sexual activities with a minor in Balqa governorate in July 2017.

The Criminal Court handed the defendant a seven-year prison term after convicting him of engaging in sexual activities with a 17-year-old girl.

The court also refused to reduce the prison term because the victim was under 18, according to court transcripts.

Court documents said the defendant and the victim developed a relationship and the victim ended up escaping from her family’s home.

“The two rented an apartment and engaged in consensual sexual activities for few months,” court documents maintained.

The victim was advised by a woman to file a case against the defendant to pressure her family to agree for the two to get married.

The victim’s family agreed and the two tied the knot at the Sharia court, court papers said.

However, a case was filed by the Criminal Court’s prosecution office against the defendant since he informed the investigators that he engaged in sexual activities with the minor before she turned 18, court papers said.

As a result, the court maintained, the defendant was ordered detained and was charged with engaging in consensual activities with a minor.

The defendant had contested the Criminal Court ruling claiming that the “sexual activities were consensual”.

The victim’s family also dropped charges against the defendant, the lawyer argued.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Court’s general attorney had asked the higher court to uphold the seven-year sentence ruling stating that the court had abided by the proper legal procedures when sentencing the defendant.

The Cassation Court ruled that the Criminal Court’s judgement fell within the law, the proceedings were proper and the sentence given was satisfactory.

 The Cassation Court tribunal comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Ahmad Qatawneh, Ahmad Qatawneh, Hammad Ghzawi and Mohammad Khashashneh.