Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Three members of Jordan's paralympic squad have been charged with sex offenses in Northern Ireland and released on bail after their embassy promised that they would return to court

The two wheelchair-bound power lifters and a trainer have been arrested and accused of sexual offenses involving two women and two underage girls, the court heard. "The embassy in London wishes to reassure the courts of its continued cooperation and maintains utmost respect for the due process of the law," the Jordanian embassy in London said in a statement. King Abdullah has taken a personal interest in the case, a representative of the embassy said during the proceedings in Coleraine, County Londonderry. Weight lifter Omar Sami Qaradhi has been charged with three counts of sexual assault and one of voyeurism. Two of the assaults were against children. His colleague Motaz Al-Junad faced one sexual assault charge. Trainer Faisal Hammash has been charged with two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual acts. The 19-strong Jordanian squad was one of several from the Middle East and Africa training in Northern Ireland's Antrim Forum sports center ahead of the London games. The Jordanian embassy representative told the court that her country would provide guarantees that the men would return from bail to face trial.

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