Cassation Court upholds seven-year sentence in minor’s sexual assault case

AMMAN — The Cassation Court upheld a July 2022 Criminal Court decision to increase the prison term of a man who engaged in consensual sexual activities with a minor in Amman in July 2021.

The Criminal Court handed the defendant a seven-year prison term after convicting him of engaging in sexual activities with a 15-year-old three times in the second half of 2021.

Court documents said the defendant and the victim met via social media platforms and developed a relationship.

The two decided to meet alone in mid-July of 2021, the court maintained.

“The defendant took the victim on a ride where he engaged in sexual activities with the victim,” the court stated.

The two engaged in “consensual sexual activities two additional times before the matter was exposed,” according to court papers.

The defendant was arrested and the victim was referred to the Family Protection Department for further examination and questioning, the court maintained.

“The court relied on DNA evidence from samples taken from the victim's body and was a match to the defendant,” according to court transcripts.

The defendant had contested the Criminal Court’s ruling through his lawyer claiming that “the prosecution office relied on contradictory evidence”.

Meanwhile, The Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the ruling.

The Cassation Court ruled that the Criminal Court’s judgment fell within the law, that the proceedings were proper and that the sentence given was satisfactory.

The Cassation Court tribunal comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Majid Azab, Hayel Amr, Fawzi Nahar and Ibrahim Abu Shamma.