Man handed 3-year prison term for molesting teenage girl

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld an October Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to three years in prison after convicting him of molesting a teenage girl in Amman in February 2020.

The court declared the defendant guilty of molesting the 17-year-old girl in a rented apartment and handed him the maximum sentence.

Court papers said the victim met the defendant while working at a mall in Amman and they developed a relationship.

The two exchanged numbers and started chatting on various social media outlets.

On February 21, the court maintained, the victim had a fight with her family, and she fled from the house.

“The victim contacted the defendant and he helped her secure a place to stay, away from her family,” according to the court transcripts.

While staying at the apartment, court documents said, “the defendant molested the victim twice”.

The matter was exposed and the defendant was arrested, the court added.

The defendant appealed his verdict through his lawyer claiming that the prosecution failed to provide any “solid evidence” to implicate him.

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 Court of Cassation comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Hammad Ghzawi, Qassem Dughmi and Mohammad Khashashneh.