Three men have been found guilty of “indecent assault” for repeatedly raping an 11-year-old girl. The case generated popular outcry in Morocco and now their jail term has been dramatically enhanced.
The appeals court in Rabat sentenced one man to 20 years in prison early Friday and the other two to 10.
After a lower court sentenced one of the girl’s three alleged attackers to two years in prison and the others to 18 months each, the girl’s attorneys, who represent the now 12-year-old, filed an appeal.
Each of the three could have spent up to 30 years in prison.
The three men were required to pay damages totaling 140,000 dirhams (almost $14,000) by the appeals court as opposed to the lower court’s order of 50,000 dirhams.
“We are satisfied with the decision which delivered justice to the victim,” attorney Abdelfattah Zahrach said to AFP after the lengthy session.
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That being said, he added: “We do not comprehend why two of the accused have only been sentenced to 10 years”.
He also indicated that “after consulting the child’s family,” he was considering filing another appeal with the Court of Cassation.
The prosecution had sought that the court hear the victim and a witness’s testimony in secret, citing concerns about child protection.
The hearing on Thursday, April 13, was well-attended and continued into the early hours of Friday.
The victim was accompanied by her grandmother and father, and she appeared weak and was mute.
The defendants were charged with the same crimes — “misappropriation of a minor” and “indecent assault on a minor with violence” — as in the earlier trial.
The judge denied the prosecution’s attempt to add the accusation of “rape” to the charges.
As the evidence was given, the defendants sat in the dock with their heads hanging low.
