THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 24-year-old priest of a temple was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment by the fast track court here after he was found guilty of sexually abusing a seven-year-boy. The convict, a native of Thiruvallam, was sentenced by Judge R Rekha for abusing the child in February 2022.
The priest, a distant relative of the victim, was living in a rented house close to the boy’s house. As he had learnt the rituals and prayers from the victim’s grandfather, the family helped the convict take the house on rent.
The child did not speak about the ordeal to anybody out of fear. However, when the accused tried to abuse the boy again, he revealed it to his aunt. The boy’s family approached the police and filed a complaint against the priest. During probe, the child told the investigators that the priest had abused him on multiple occasions. The prosecution was represented by special public prosecutor R S Vijay Mohan and Athiyannoor R Y Akhilesh.
The court said it was awarding the minimum punishment for the offence considering the accused person’s age. The prosecution produced 24 documents, 17 witnesses and four material objects to prove the case, which was investigated by former Vanchiyoor Inspector V V Deepin and SI M Umesh.