Man handed 18-year prison sentence for sexual assault of his daughter

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation upheld a September Criminal Court ruling sentencing a man to 18 years in prison after convicting him of sexually assaulting his teenage daughter in May 2021.

The court declared the defendant guilty of sexually assaulting his 13-year-old daughter while at his home over 30 times and handed him a 12-year prison term.

However, the court decided to increase the verdict by six years because of the “defendant’s grave actions of sexually assaulting his own daughter”.

Court papers said the defendant would often molest his daughter while at home alone.

In the final incident, the court maintained, the defendant went to his daughter’s room holding a kitchen knife and sexually assaulted her.

The victim informed her mother who filed a report against him at the Family Protection Department, court documents said.

The defendant appealed his verdict through his lawyer claiming that the prosecution depended on "weak evidence".

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.

“It was clear from DNA evidence and body examination of the victim that the defendant committed this heinous act and, therefore, deserves the punishment he received,” the higher court ruled.

The Court of Cassation panel included presiding judge Mohammad Ibrahim as well as judges Hayel Amr, Majid Azab, Ibrahim Abu Shamma and Fawzi Nahar.