Cassation Court upholds 3-year sentence for man over sexual assault

AMMAN — Court of Cassation upheld a July 2022 Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a 27-year-old man to three years in prison after convicting him of engaging in sexual activities with a 17-year-old girl in October 2021.

The court declared the defendant guilty of engaging in sexual activities twice with the teenager in a furnished apartment in Irbid.

The defendant was handed the maximum punishment by the court.

Court papers said the victim became friends with the defendant through social media. The two agreed to meet after their friendship developed into a relationship. The defendant visited the victim when she was alone at her home in Amman, and “the two engaged in sexual activities,” according to the court transcripts.

Few days later, the defendant convinced the teenager to accompany him to a furnished apartment in Irbid, the court maintained. The two engaged in sexual activities but were later located by the authorities.

The defendant contested his verdict claiming he was innocent and that he was subjected to duress by the investigators.

The defendant’s lawyer also argued that the victim’s testimonies against the defendant were unreliable because she provided “contradictory accounts” of what happened in front of the investigators.

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 defendant confessed to the sexual assault incident when he was arrested,” the higher court ruled.

“Therefore, he deserves the punishment he received,” the higher court added.

The Court of Cassation comprised Judge Mohammad Ibrahim and included judges Nayef Samarat, Hayel Amr, Mahmoud Ebtoush and Ibrahim Abu Shamma.