Minor sentenced to 1 year at juvenile centre for molesting girl

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a January Juvenile Court ruling, sentencing a minor to one year at a juvenile detention centre after convicting him of repeatedly molesting a girl in April 2018.

The Juvenile Court found the minor guilty of molesting the girl four times and handed him a three-year prison term.

However, the court decided to reduce the sentence to one year to give him “a second chance in life” since he got married to the victim, court documents said.

Court papers said the victim and the defendant became friends through the Instagram application in early 2018.

“The defendant and the victim met on several occasions when the minor molested the girl, whose age was not listed in the verdict,” according to court documents.

Few weeks before a complaint was filed against the defendant, the court added, the victim invited the defendant to her family’s house while they were away.

“The two engaged in sexual activities and the minor took a video clip,” court documents added.

The defendant then decided to marry the victim “but changed his mind claiming that the victim was involved in a relationship with another man”, court papers added. 

The victim, “who feared of being exposed because of the video clip, informed her family and they filed a complaint against the minor”.

The defendant’s lawyer contested the sentence, arguing that “the defendant should receive clemency because the victim dropped charges against him”.

“The minor also has no criminal record and the Juvenile Court should take this matter into consideration,” court transcripts said.

However, the higher court ruled that the Juvenile Court had followed the proper procedures and the defendant deserved the verdict he had received.