Eight-year jail-term for man who molested seven-year-old girl

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a February Criminal Court ruling sentencing a man to eight years in prison after convicting him of molesting a child in Zarqa in July 2017.

The court declared the defendant guilty of molesting the seven-year-old girl as she was walking inside her building in mid-July and handed him the maximum punishment. 

Court papers said the victim was returning home when the defendant followed her and “molested her the minute she entered her building”.

The victim immediately informed her family who then filed a case against him at the Family Protection Department.

The defendant did not contest his eight-year sentence, according to the court documents but any court that is over five years in automatically reviewed by the Court of Cassation within 30 days.   

The higher court ruled that the Criminal Court followed the proper procedures and the defendant deserved the verdict he received.

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Naji Zubi, Yassin Abdullat, Saeed Mugheid and Majid Azab.