Man sentenced to over 6 years in jail for molesting woman

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation upheld a September Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a repeat offender to over six years in prison after convicting him of molesting a 36-year-old woman in Zarqa in December 2017.

The court declared the defendant guilty of molestation charges and handed him a four-year prison term.

However, the court decided to increase the sentence to six years and four months because the defendant had a previous criminal record.

Court papers said the victim was walking towards her house when the defendant followed her until she reached her doorsteps.

“The defendant pushed the woman inside and attempted to molest her by force,” according to the court transcripts.

The victim screamed, forcing the defendant to flee and was later arrested, according to court papers.

The defendant appealed his verdict through his lawyer, claiming that the prosecution “failed to provide any solid evidence” to implicate him.

The defence also claimed that the victim provided contradictory statements, which could not be used as evidence against his client.

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