Man handed 3-year prison term for molesting teenage girl

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a May Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to three years in prison after convicting him of molesting a Syrian teenage girl in Amman in September of last year.

The court declared the defendant guilty of molesting the 15-year-old girl at a furnished apartment in the Seventh Circle area and handed him the maximum sentence.

Court papers said the victim met the defendant via Facebook and they developed a relationship.

The two exchanged numbers and started chatting on various social media outlets.

“The defendant convinced the teenager to go with him to a furnished apartment and the two engaged in sexual activities,” according to the court transcripts.

The defendant dropped the victim back home and she informed her mother about the sexual encounter, according to court papers.

The victim’s family immediately filed a complaint at the police and the defendant was arrested, the court added.

 The defendant appealed his verdict through his lawyer claiming that the prosecution failed to provide any solid evidence to implicate him.

The defence claimed that the victim provided contradictory statements and that “sexual activities were consensual”, court papers said.

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 Court of Cassation comprised judges Yassin Abdullat, Majid Azab, Nayef Samarat, Hayel Amr and Amad Qatatneh.