ammonnews.net

Ammon News - The Court of Cassation has upheld a March 21 Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to four years in prison after convicting him of molesting a young man in Amman in June 2020.

The court declared the defendant guilty of molestation charges and handed him the maximum sentence of four years.

Court papers said the victim was walking in the street in downtown Amman when he saw the defendant who was with his friend.

“The defendant attacked the victim by drawing a switchblade and threatened to harm him if he did not go with him to his apartment,” according to the court transcripts.

When they reached the premises, the court maintained, the defendant asked the victim “to undress while holding the switchblade to his face”.

“The defendant proceeded to sexually assault the victim who was scared to resist because he was threatened by the sharp weapon,” the court added.

The victim managed to escape from the apartment and reported the assault to the police, according to the court papers.

The defendant appealed his verdict through his lawyer claiming that the prosecution “failed to provide any solid evidence” to implicate him.

The defence also claimed that the victim provided contradictory statements, which could not be used as evidence against his client.

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 court depended on physical evidence, including DNA, to prove that the defendant committed the crimes he was charged with,” the higher court ruled.

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