MADURAI: The Special Court for POCSO Act cases in Madurai on Wednesday convicted and sentenced a 73-year-old man to 20 years imprisonment for sexually assaulting five girl children in 2018. Sessions Judge S Kirubakaran Mathuram passed the order against G Devapitchai, who was running a children’s home in Usilampatti. The victims, aged between 12 and 16, were inmates of the home.
According to the prosecution, Devapitchai had been sexually assaulting several inmates at the shelter. However, the issue came to light in 2018 and the personnel from the Usilampatti all-women police station booked him.
On Wednesday, the special judge found him guilty under sections 5 (m), 5 (o) read with 6, and sections 7 read with 8 (four counts) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. He, therefore, sentenced him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a total fine of Rs 40,000 on him.
The judge also directed the government to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to one of the victims and Rs 25,000 each to the other four victims. He ordered for the compensation amount to be invested in the Madurai district legal aid in the name of the victim girls so that they can receive the amount after attaining majority.