Man handed 3-year jail term for molesting woman with special needs

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a January Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to three years in prison after convicting him of molesting a 30-year-old woman with special needs in Amman in February 2020.

The court declared the defendant guilty of molestation charges on February 7 and handed him the maximum sentence of three years.

Court papers said the victim suffered from “simple mental retardation and her mental brain age is estimated at nine years old”.

“The victim met with the defendant who sexually assaulted her, then let her leave the apartment,” according to court papers.

The victim was reported missing by her family and when she was “found by the police”, the court papers added.

“The victim was referred to the Family Protection Department and attending physicians collected evidence from the victim’s body,” the court added.

The defendant appealed his verdict through his lawyer claiming that the prosecution “depended on contradictory statements”.

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

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

“The prosecution office provided DNA tests and other evidence that proved that the victim was sexually assaulted by the defendant,” the higher court ruled.

The Court of Cassation was headed by Judge Mohammad Ibrahim and included judges Yassin Abdullat, Nayef Samarat, Hammad Ghzawi and Mohammad Khashashneh.