Man sentenced to five years for molesting 14-year-old girl

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld an October Criminal Court ruling sentencing a man to five years in prison after convicting him of molesting a child in June of 2018.

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of molesting the 14-year-old girl in June on three different occasions in one of Amman’s neighgbourhoods and handed him the maximum punishment.

Court papers said the defendant and the victim became friends through social media.

 “Their relationship developed and they started seeing each other in person,” court documents said.

 The defendant “took the victim to an empty apartment near her home on several occasions and molested her,” according to court transcripts. 

“The matter was exposed when the victim was reported missing by her family,” the court verdict added.

Upon examining the victim by forensic specialists at the Family Protection Department, it was determined that DNA evidence “found on her body and clothes belonged to the defendant”.

The victim’s family refused to drop charges against the defendant, according to court transcripts. 

The Criminal Court’s attorney general had asked the higher court to uphold the sentence against the defendant stating that the court had abided by the proper legal procedures when sentencing the defendant.

The defendant, through his lawyer, contested the court’s ruling arguing that he “should be declared innocent because the criminal court prosecutor failed to present any solid evidence that would implicate his client”.

“My client was interrogated by the authorities without the presence of a lawyer and his confession should be nullified,” the lawyer argued.

However, 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 scientific evidence clearly points to the defendant and the investigation procedures were done in accordance with the law,” the higher court ruled.

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Hammad Ghzawi, Naji Zubi and Bassim Mubeidin.