Eight-year jail term upheld for man who molested child in Zaatari clinic

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a May Criminal Court decision sentencing a man to eight years in prison after convicting him of molesting a child at a hospital in Zaatari camp in September 2016

The Criminal Court declared the defendant is guilty of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl while working at the hospital on September 15 and handed him the maximum punishment.

The court refused to drop charges against the defendant although “the victim’s mother dropped charges against him because the victim was under the age of 18”.

Court papers said the victim accompanied her mother to work at the same hospital where the defendant worked.

“The defendant lured the child to a deserted room and  placed his hands on her private parts,” the court stated.

The victim informed her family and they filed a case at the Family Protection Department, according to court transcripts.

The convicted man had contested the ruling, claiming that “victim gave contradictory statements regarding the incident”.

However, the Criminal Court general attorney asked the higher court to uphold the original verdict stating that the court followed the proper legal channels in its ruling.

The Cassation Court, which issued its ruling late last month, ruled that the Criminal Court’s ruling 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, Mohammad Tarawneh, Naji Zubi and Basem Mubeidin.