Man jailed for molesting boy

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a March Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to 10 years in prison after convicting him of molesting a boy in Amman in November 2019.

The court declared the defendant guilty of sexually assaulting the 16-year-old boy twice on November 25 and handed him the maximum sentence.

Court papers said the defendant was driving his car at night when he spotted the victim walking down the street.

“The defendant pulled over and convinced the teenager to ride with him and he agreed,” court papers said.

The defendant parked the car in a secluded area and molested the boy who was resisting his attempts.

"The defendant beat up the boy and sexually assaulted him by force," court transcripts said.

The defendant then dropped the boy off where he picked him up and left, according to court papers.

The Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the sentence against the defendant "because the punishment he received was proper".

The defence lawyer, meanwhile, asked the court to acquit his client because "the court relied on weak evidence".

The defence lawyer also charged that "the victim provided contradictory statements", the court added.

However, the higher court ruled that the Criminal Court proceedings were accurate and that the defendant was given the appropriate punishment.

It was proven to the court that the defendant confessed willingly to engaging in sexual activities with the minor and therefore deserves the punishment he had received, the higher court ruled.

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Mohammad Khashashneh, Fawzi Nahar, Hayel Amr and Nayef Samarat.