Ammon News - AMMAN - The Criminal Court has sentenced a 22-year-old man to seven years in prison for molesting a child in March 2008.

The court also ordered the suspect to pay JD10,000 in compensation to the victim’s family after convicting him of molesting the six-year-old boy on March 7, 2008.

The court said the child was walking home from a nearby store after buying candy. The defendant took the six-year-old to a deserted house, undressed and molested him, the court stated.

The child returned home and informed his family, court transcripts said.

The court said it relied on DNA evidence taken from the defendant, which matched the samples found on the victim’s clothes and body.

Criminal Prosecutor Ayman Ghazawi had asked the court for the maximum punishment.

The tribunal comprised judges Awad Abu Jarad, Ahmad Atoun and Fawzi Nahar.

The February 14 verdict will automatically be reviewed by the Court of Cassation within the next 30 days.

Meanwhile, the same tribunal sentenced a 20-year-old university student to three-and-a-half-years in prison after convicting him of molesting a young girl in February 2009.

The court first sentenced the defendant to seven years in prison after convicting him of molesting a 12-year-old girl as she walked home on February 5, 2009.

But the court immediately reduced the sentence in half after the victim’s family dropped charges against the defendant.

The court said the victim was walking home when the defendant grabbed her, took her to a deserted area and molested her, the court said.

The defendant then threatened her not to inform her family and left, the court added.

The victim returned home and informed her family, who immediately alerted the police, leading to the defendant’s arrest, according to court papers.

The February 14 verdict is subject to appeal by the criminal court general attorney and the defendant at the Court of Cassation within the next 30 days.

(By Rana Husseini/ Jordan Times)