Cassation Court upholds over 9-year sentence for man over sexual misconduct with minor

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation upheld a February 2024 Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to over nine years in prison after convicting him of sexually assaulting a teenage boy in Amman in September 2023.

The court declared the defendant guilty of molesting a 14-year-old boy on September 17.

The defendant was handed the maximum punishment of seven years by the court of seven years.

However, the court decided to increase the prison term by over two years because the defendant was a repeat offender.

Court papers said the victim was in downtown Amman when he was approached by the defendant.

The boy informed the defendant that he needed a ride back to his house, and the latter offered to give him a ride, according to court papers.

However, the defendant convinced the boy to have dinner with him at his apartment in an eastern neighbourhood, court papers added.

 “The defendant offered the victim a cigarette, then he sexually molested him,” the court added.

The victim returned to his family’s home and informed them about the sexual encounter with the defendant, court papers added.

The victim's family took their son to the Family Protection Department, where they filed a complaint against the defendant, the court stated.

The court said in its ruling that it relied in its conviction on DNA evidence taken from the victim, which matched the defendant.

The defendant contested his verdict through his lawyer, claiming the court relied on contradictory 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, and the DNA evidence supports the prosecution’s case,” 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 Rizeq Abul Fool, Fawzy Nahar, Ibrahim Abu Shammaa and Qassem Dughmi.