Man sentenced to four years for electronic sexual assault, extortion

The Grand Criminal Court sentenced a man to four years of prison for electronically sexually assaulting a woman in her thirties.

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The defendant used threats to lure the woman to send him explicit images and videos via Snapchat. The woman complied out of fear of his threats. The defendant then took screenshots and recorded the videos, which he then sent to her husband.

The victim met the defendant through Snapchat, according to Roya’s findings. They began exchanging phone calls, during which the defendant claimed he worked in the field of selling mobile and electrical devices.

The defendant requested that the victim send him a picture of herself in home clothes, to which she complied, sending several photos, including one with her head uncovered. He then escalated his demands, asking her to undress during a video call. When she refused, he threatened to publish the photos he had.

The decision highlighted that the victim received multiple threatening phone calls from two unknown women, urging her to comply with the defendant's demands. Under the weight of these threats and the surrounding circumstances, which nullified her resistance and consent, the defendant forced her to make a video call during which she undressed.

The defendant recorded the call by taking screenshots and later demanded that she repeat her actions. When she refused, he published the video and photos, sending them to her husband. As a result, the victim left her marital home.

During a public session, the court found the defendant guilty of the felony of sexual assault under Article 296/1 of the Penal Code, in conjunction with Article 26 of the Cybercrime Law. This resulted in a sentence of four years of hard labor.

Additionally, the defendant was convicted of the felony of using social media to threaten and compel someone to perform an act, attributing dishonorable and discreditable matters, as per Article 18/b of the Cybercrime Law. For this, he received a further three years of hard labor and a fine of JD5,000.

The court also convicted the defendant of the misdemeanor of publishing a recording, image, or video intended to be kept private, with the intent of defamation and harm, in association with Article 20/a of the Cybercrime Law. This led to a three-month prison sentence and a fine of JD20,000 dinars.

Moreover, the defendant was found guilty of extortion and threats under Article 18/a of the Cybercrime Law, resulting in a one-year prison term and a fine of 3,000 dinars. The charge of corrupting the marital relationship was dropped due to its inclusion in the General Amnesty Law No. 5 of 2024.

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The court applied the most severe penalty to the defendant, imposing four years of hard labor.