23/08/2012

Jordan Paralympians To Miss Games After Antrim Sex Charges

Three members of Jordan's Paralympian team have been told they will miss the Games after allegations of sex offences surfaced against them.

Faisal Hammash, Omar Sami Qaradhi and Motaz Al-Junadi are charged with sex offences in Antrim, where they were training for the Paralympics.

The Jordanian National Paralympic Committee has told Locog the athletes and trainer are no longer to be entered into the games and have returned to Jordan.

On Wednesday a court in Coleraine heard that King Abdullah of Jordan has taken a personal interest in the case, and a Jordanian embassy official offered bail sureties for the three men.

All three are members of the Middle Eastern country's Paralympics power-lifting team.

Faisal Hammash, 35, faces two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

Omar Sami Qaradhi, 31, is charged with three counts of sexual assault and one of voyeurism. At least two of the alleged assaults were against children.

Motaz Al-Junadi, 45, faces one charge of sexual assault. All the offences are said to have taken place between 16 and 20 August.

The Jordanian Embassy in London released a statement regretting the incidents that led to the men's charges.

It said: "In line with its duties towards its citizens, the embassy provided direct consular support to the three members of the team charged with the offences.

"A senior diplomat from the embassy attended the hearings this morning at the Magistrates Court in Antrim, and posted bail for the three sportsmen pending their reappearance in Belfast for their trial in October.

"The embassy wishes to further express its appreciation to the courts for promptly appointing a defence lawyer for the three men and facilitating its Consular services to its citizens.

"The embassy in London wishes to reassure the courts of its continued cooperation and maintains utmost respect for the due process of the law."

(NE)

Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

07 April 2005
Policing Board wants to improve three key areas
The Northern Ireland Policing Board today outlined three key areas it wants to improve on over the next three years. The Board, which published its aims in its new Corporate Plan for the period 1 April 2005 – 31 March 2008, said it wants to improve on ‘Effectiveness, Efficiency and Public Confidence’.
06 March 2017
Three Men Charged After Firearm Discovered In Co Fermanagh
Three men have been charged after police discovered a firearm during the search of a car in Co Fermanagh. The weapon was found after the PSNI stopped a vehicle on the Dublin Road in Enniskillen on Friday, 03 March.
31 May 2012
Burglar Finds Body In Lurgan Flat
A would-be burglar found the blood-covered body of a man who had been battered to death two days previously. Andrew Lorimer, 43, was found dead in Portlec Place, Lurgan, in the early hours of February 5 this year. The details of his body's discovery have emerged in a murder trial at the High Court.
31 July 2003
Colombia three trial enters final stages
The trial of the three Irish men facing charges of training left-wing guerrillas in Colombia is entering its final stages as the lawyers for the defence make their final statements this week. The three men facing charges relating to the training of left-wing FARC guerrillas made their first appearance in court in Bogota yesterday.
22 August 2012
Jordan's Paralympics Team Members In Court On Sex Charges
Three members of Jordan's Paralympics squad have appeared in court in Coleraine charged with sexual offences. An embassy official from the Middle Eastern country offered bail sureties on behalf of Faisal Hammash, Omar Sami Qaradhi and Motaz Al-Junad.