Cassation court upholds maximum sentence against man convicted of sexually assaulting minor

AMMAN — The Cassation Court upheld a January Criminal Court decision sentencing a man to seven years in prison after convicting him of sexually assaulting a minor in a deserted building in Zarqa, in October last year.

The Criminal Court handed the defendant the maximum punishment, having found him guilty of sexually assaulting the 17-year-old girl on October 11.

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

The defendant met and befriended the victim via Facebook and then “persuaded the minor to go with him for a ride and she agreed”, court documents said.

“The defendant took the victim to a deserted building and asked to engage in sexual activities with her but she refused so he threatened to show her family the chats between them and some photos she had sent him of her,” the court stated.

The victim adhered to his demand and “he sexually assaulted her then asked to meet her again but she refused and instead informed her family”, the court added.

The defendant had contested the Criminal Court ruling claiming that the “victim gave contradictory statements regarding the incident”.

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

The Cassation Court tribunal comprised of judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Nayef Samarat, Naji Zu’bi and Majid Azab.