Image showing the view from inside a jail cell. For representational purposes.
Credit: iStock Photo
Mangaluru: The additional district and sessions judge FTSC-II (Pocso), Maanu K S, sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 in connection with the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl.
The convict is K Sudheer from Belthangady taluk.
The incident occurred when the girl visited Sudheer's house to watch TV in the last week of December 2021. He lured her by suggesting they go to a shop and took her to his grandmother's vacant house nearby, where he committed the crime. He also threatened to file a police complaint against the survivor if she dared to inform her parents, claiming that the girl came to him willingly. He repeated the act several times when the survivor went to watch TV at his house, said Special Public Prosecutor K Badrinath Nairy.
In August 2022, the girl became pregnant. However, the accused sexually assaulted her telling her she would be alright. Along with others, he planned to get the abortion done in a hospital in Chikkamagaluru. To prove that she was his wife, the accused made the survivor dress as a bride, made her wear a toe ring and silver Karimani, and took pictures with her. In fact, he went to the survivor's house and informed her mother that they had to attend a wedding and birthday along with the girl and took her to a hospital in Chikkamagaluru on December 17, 2022. The accused told the hospital staff he was her husband and they wanted an abortion.
After returning from the hospital, Childline received an anonymous call about the incident, after which the police visited the house. However, the survivor failed to reveal the matter initially. After counselling, she revealed the truth.
After this, an FIR was filed against Sudheer under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and various sections of the Indian Penal Code. Circle Inspectors Shivakumar B and Satyanarayana K completed the investigation and submitted the charge sheet to the court. The case involved 24 witnesses and 62 documents, said Badrinath Nayari.
Judge MAanu K S of the Additional District and Sessions Fast Track Special Court – 2 (POCSO) sentenced Sudheer to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and a Rs 40,000 fine under IPC Section 376 and POCSO Act Section 6 for the rape. Additionally, he received a three-year simple imprisonment and a Rs 10,000 fine under IPC Section 201 for destroying evidence. The court ordered Rs 50,000 of the fine to be paid to the victim. Furthermore, under IPC Section 357(A) and the victim compensation scheme, the District Legal Services Authority was asked to provide an additional Rs 2 lakh compensation to the victim.