Court upholds 4-year prison sentence for molestation

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation upheld a June 2022 Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to four years in prison after convicting him of molesting a woman in one of the Capital’s streets in November 2020.

The court declared the defendant guilty of touching the private parts of the 35-year-old woman in Wadi Sir area on November 15.

The defendant was handed the maximum punishment by the court.

Court papers said the victim was walking down a narrow street when the defendant, who was driving a rented car, approached her.

“The defendant approached the victim with his vehicle and cornered her then grabbed her private part,” court papers said.

The woman screamed at the defendant who sped off with his vehicle, the court maintained.

“The woman was able to memorise two of the vehicle’s licence plate numbers, its colour and brand,” the court maintained.

The victim filed an official complaint and provided law-enforcement officials with the vehicle’s information, according to court transcripts.

“Investigators reviewed nearby cameras and were able to identify the vehicle and traced the person who was driving the vehicle on the day and time of the assault,” the court added.

The defendant contested his verdict through his lawyer claiming he was innocent.

The lawyer argued that the Criminal Court’s prosecution office relied on contradictory statements by the victim.

In addition, the lawyer argued that the prosecution failed to provide solid evidence that would implicate his client.

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 was headed by Judge Mohammad Ibrahim and included judges Nayef Samarat, Yassin Abdullat, Qassem Dughmi and Hammad Ghzawi.