15-year jail term for man guilty of ‘consensual sex’ with 13-year-old girl

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a February 2018 Criminal Court ruling sentencing a man to 15 years in prison after convicting him of engaging in “consensual” sexual activities with a minor in Amman in October 2014. 

The court ruled that the defendant was guilty of having sex with the victim, who was 13 years old when the incident occurred and handed him the maximum punishment.

Court documents said the victim left her family’s home in late September 2014 and headed to a house in an eastern Amman neighbourhood where she worked as a domestic helper for a family.

“The defendant lived in the same building and managed to lure the victim into his apartment, where he engaged in sexual activities with her on several occasions,” the court ruled.

The matter was exposed and the police were notified about the incident, the court said. 

The defendant had contested the Criminal Court ruling, charging that he was subjected to “beating and threats by officers who questioned him at the Family Protection Department [FPD]”, which is affiliated to the Public Security Department.

The defendant also claimed that the “victim would often runaway from her father’s home", saying that the sentence is too harsh "given the fact that I turned myself in to the FPD”.

However, the higher court ruled that the Criminal Court followed the proper proceedings when sentencing the defendant deserves the verdict he received.

“The defendant confessed willingly in front of the FPD officers and other law enforcement agencies’ officers to the incident and, therefore, the Criminal Court’s ruling is correct,” the higher court ruled.

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Naji Zubi, Yassin Abdullat, Nayef Samarat and Majid Azab.