Man jailed for molesting teenage girl

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a March Criminal Court ruling sentencing a man to three years in prison after convicting him of molesting a teenage girl in Irbid last June. 

The defendant was convicted of sexually assaulting the 17-year-old girl in a rented apartment and was given the maximum punishment. 

Court papers said the victim and the defendant became friends via social media.

Their friendship developed into a relationship, and as a result, “the victim left her family’s home and contacted him”.

“The two engaged in consensual sexual activities and when the teenager returned home, her family notified the authorities,” the court transcripts stated. 

The defendant contested the Criminal Court’s ruling through his lawyer, asking to be declared innocent arguing that the “victim’s testimony was contradictory”.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Court’s general attorney asked the higher court to uphold the verdict against the defendant.

The Court of Cassation ruled that the verdict was correct and the defendant deserved the ruling he had received. 

“The court relied its ruling on DNA evidence that was found on the victim’s clothes, which tied it to the defendant,” the court papers added.

The Cassation Court is comprised of judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Nayef Samarat, Qassem Dughmi and Hammad Ghzawi.