Minor gets three years in juvenile corrections for sexual assault

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a November Juvenile Court decision sentencing a minor to three years at a juvenile correctional and rehabilitation centre after convicting him of sexually assaulting his neighbour. 

The Juvenile Court handed the defendant the maximum sentence allowed for minors after convicting him of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy several times.

Court documents said the defendant and the 12-year-old victim lived in the same neighbourhood.

“The defendant added the victim to his Facebook account and started sending him photos of naked women,” according to court documents.

The defendant then threatened to show the photos to the victim’s family if he did not come to his house, the court papers said.

Fearing that the defendant might expose him, the court documents added, the victim went to the defendant’s house on several occasions “where he was sexually assaulted by the defendant”.

“The victim eventually informed his family and they contacted the police,” the court documents added.

The defendant had contested the Criminal Court ruling, asking to be declared innocent, claiming that “there were many contradictory statements by the victim and that the Juvenile Court failed to rely on solid evidence”.

However, the Cassation Court ruled that the Juvenile Court’s judgement fell within the law, that the proceedings were proper and that the sentence given was satisfactory.

The Cassation Court tribunal comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Nayef Samarat, Naji Zu’bi and Majid Azab.