Cassation Court upholds 3-year sentence for man engaged in sexual activities with minor

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation upheld a January Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to three years in prison after convicting him of engaging in consensual sexual activities with a teenager in July 2022.

The court declared the defendant guilty of engaging in sexual activities with the 17-year-old girl five times in Zarqa City in July 2022.

He was also convicted of using the Internet to distribute indecent material and was handed a three-year prison term.

Court papers said the victim, who resided in Zarqa, became friends with the defendant through social media.

The two agreed to meet at the victim’s house when her family is gone after their friendship developed into a relationship, court papers said.

“The two engaged in sexual activities on different occasions and the defendant would film the encounters with his mobile,” according to the court transcripts.

A month later, a man wanted to get engaged to the victim and the defendant learnt about it and asked him not to marry the girl, court papers added.

When the bidder refused to listen to the defendant, the latter sent him “some video clips of the sexual encounters with the victim,” according to court papers.

The defendant also sent similar video clips to the victim’s brother, the court transcripts maintained.

The defendant contested his verdict through his lawyer claiming that there were irregularities in the investigation procedures.

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, he deserves the punishment he received, the higher court added.

The Court of Cassation was headed by Judge Mahmoud Ebtoush and included judges Majid Azab, Majed Rafayah, Ibrahim Abu Shamma and Rizeq Abulfool.