11-year jail term for repeated sex offender who molested niece

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a February Criminal Court ruling sentencing a repeated sex offender to over 11 years in prison after convicting him of molesting his relative in Amman in September.

The court declared the defendant guilty of molesting the nine-year-old child on September 17 and handed him an eight-year prison term.

However, the court decided to add three years and eight months to his sentence because the victim was his relative, and he was previously convicted of molestation in a different incident.

Court papers said the victim’s mother went to visit her sister and left the victim at home.

“The victim went to play in the garden and her uncle, who lived in the same building, saw her and asked her to come to his apartment,” court papers said, adding that the defendant undressed the victim and “molested her".

As the victim’s mother returned home, "she went to the defendant’s house looking for her daughter and saw him lying on top of her daughter,” court records said, adding that she immediately took her child away and filed a complaint against the defendant.

The higher court ruled that the Criminal Court followed the proper procedures when sentencing the defendant and he deserves the verdict he received. 

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Naji Zubi, Majed Azab, Nayef Samarat and Hamad Ghzawi.