Court increases prison sentences for men convicted of raping, impregnating minor

A Moroccan appeals court on Tuesday handed down stiffer prison sentences to three men convicted of raping a mentally disabled minor, whose assault resulted in pregnancy and childbirth at the provincial hospital in Kalaat Sraghna.

The criminal chamber of the Marrakesh Court of Appeals upheld the original verdict but increased the length of the sentences and doubled the civil compensation awarded to the victim’s family.

The court sentenced the first defendant, identified as A.M.J., to 12 years in prison. The second, A.J.J., received an eight-year sentence, while the third, M.T., was given 10 years. All sentences are to be served as actual prison time.

In civil proceedings, the court also raised the compensation owed to the victim’s father to 200,000 dirhams (approximately $20,000), with legal costs charged to the convicted parties.

Initially, the lower court had sentenced A.M.J. to 10 years in prison for luring and sexually assaulting a minor under the age of 18, who was known to have cognitive disabilities. He was convicted of using deception and coercion to commit the violent rape that resulted in the girl losing her virginity.

The second defendant was sentenced to six years in prison for similar charges of luring and violently assaulting the minor.

The third man, whose paternity of the child was confirmed through DNA testing, was sentenced to eight years on the same charges.

In the original civil ruling, the court ordered 100,000 dirhams in compensation for the victim and awarded a symbolic one-dirham compensation to the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, which had joined the case as a civil party.

The association, which supported the victim throughout the trial, said it considered the case a milestone in advocating for justice in serious violations of children’s rights, particularly in cases involving sexual violence and exploitation.