4-year sentence upheld in molesting case of man

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

The court declared the defendant guilty of molestation charges and handed him the maximum sentence of four years. Court papers said the defendant had previously stood trial at a court on fraud charges.

The victim was a witness in the case against him and took the stand to testify for the prosecution, the court said. The defendant became enraged and “decided to take revenge,” according to the court transcripts.

“The defendant lured the victim to a deserted house under the pretense that he wanted to discuss the matter,” the court transcripts said.

The defendant grabbed a knife and “asked the victim to undress,” the court added. “The victim took off his clothes and stood almost naked for seconds then immediately ran away and asked for help,” 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.

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 Saeed Mugheid, Nayef Samarat, Hayel Amr and Fawzi Nahar.