THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Thiruvananthapuram Fast Track Special Court on Tuesday sentenced a 62-year-old man to 35 years of rigorous imprisonment for the sexual abuse of the five-year-old granddaughter of his younger brother.
Delivering the sentence, Justice R Rekha handed him a combined jail term of 102 years under various sections, which shall run concurrently. The court also imposed a total fine of Rs 1.05 lakh.
The judgment stated that the actions of the accused were extremely cruel, deserving no mercy. Given the nature of the crime, the judge emphasised that the accused must face the maximum possible punishment. The court ordered that the fine amount be given to the child. Or else, the accused will have to serve an additional two years and three months in prison, the judgment said.
The incident that led to the case happened between November 2020 and February 2021.
The accused is the elder brother of the child’s maternal grandfather. The crime happened when the child visited the accused’s house to play, during which he assaulted the child on three separate occasions. When the child cried in pain, the accused threatened her with further harm if she told anyone of the assault.
However, the child’s grandmother overheard her saying to her friends about the misdeeds of the accused. On further questioning, the child revealed the abuse. When the grandmother examined the child, she found severe injuries. The family immediately consulted a doctor and informed the Kadinamkulam police. The medical examination confirmed the injuries.
Special Public Prosecutor R S Vijay Mohan and Advocate R Y Akhilesh represented the prosecution. They examined 14 witnesses and submitted 24 documents and three pieces of evidence. Sub Inspector Deepu K S and Inspector Bins Joseph from the Kadinamkulam police station carried out the investigation.
The court also directed the Legal Services Authority to provide the child compensation.