Man handed 7-year prison term for molesting boy at gunpoint

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a February Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to seven years in prison after convicting him of molesting a child in Amman in November 2019.

The court declared the defendant guilty of molesting the 14-year-old boy at gunpoint on November 22 and handed him the maximum punishment.

Court papers said that the defendant was driving his vehicle and saw the victim walking in the street and approached him.

“The defendant pointed a gun at the boy and forced him to ride with him in the car,” court papers said.

The defendant took the boy to a forest and molested him at gunpoint and stole his mobile, according to court papers.

The defendant let the victim go back to his home and he immediately alerted his family who contacted police and filed a complaint, the court added.

The defendant contested the court ruling charging that the victim provided a contradictory statement.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Court prosecutor asked the court to uphold the sentence.

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

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Fawzi Nahar, Mohammad Khashashneh, Hayel Amr and Saeed Mugheid.