AMMAN — The Court of Cassation upheld an April 2023 Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to over seven years in prison after convicting him of sexually assaulting a teenage boy in Amman in July 2022.

 

The court declared the defendant guilty of molesting a 17-year-old boy in Wadi Sir area in mid-July.

 

The defendant was handed seven years and six months in prison by the court.

 

Court papers said the victim went for a ride with the defendant and two other men who did not appeal their verdicts.

 

“The three men decided to sexually assault the victim in a deserted area,” the court added.

 

The victim returned to his family’s home and informed them about the sexual assault with the defendants, court papers added.

 

The victim's family took their son to the Family Protection Department, where they filed a complaint against the three men, the court stated.

 

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

 

The defendant claimed that the court relied on contradictory investigation procedures.

 

The defendant further claimed that the sentence “is too harsh since he is the only supporter of his family”.

 

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 defendant confessed to the sexual assault incident,” the higher court ruled.

 

Therefore, he deserves the punishment he received, the higher court added.

 

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