7-year jail term upheld for man who sexually assaulted 14-year-old boy

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a May Criminal Court decision sentencing a man to seven years in prison after convicting him of sexually assaulting a child in an apartment in Amman in February 2016.

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of sexually assaulting the minor in a secluded area and handed him the maximum punishment.

The court refused to reduce the prison term because the victim was under the age of 18.   

On February 24, the defendant lured the 14-year-old boy to an apartment in an Amman neighbourhood after convincing him that he wanted to take him to football training.

“The defendant sexually assaulted the boy then released him,” the court stated.

The victim informed his family of the incident and they immediately alerted the authorities, the court added.

The defendant had contested the Criminal Court ruling claiming that the “victim gave contradictory statements regarding the incident”.

However, the Criminal Court general attorney asked the higher court to uphold the original verdict stating that the court followed the proper legal channels in its ruling.

The Cassation Court, which issued its ruling late last month, ruled that the Criminal Court’s ruling fell within the law, that the proceedings were proper and that the sentence given was satisfactory.

The Cassation Court tribunal comprised of judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Mohammad Tarawneh, Naji Zubi and Basem Mubeidin.