CHENNAI: The special court for cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act has sentenced a 28-year-old man to five years imprisonment for sexually assaulting a girl in Chennai, in 2020.
Special court Judge M Rajalakshmi pronounced the verdict recently, sentencing the convict to five-year imprisonment and slapping a fine of Rs 5,000 under Section 10 of Pocso Act for sexual assault and one-month imprisonment and a fine of Rs 500 for wrongful restraint under Section 341 of the Indian Penal Code. The judge also ordered setting off the period already served in prison against the sentence.
Special public prosecutor S Anitha appeared for the prosecution. According to the prosecution, the victim was on her way to a grocery shop in the neighbourhood on July 14, 2020. The convict, who was in an autorickshaw wearing a helmet, had waylaid the child and sprayed sanitiser on her face.
He proceeded to sexually assault her and pull her into the vehicle with the intent to kidnap her. The child managed to escape and narrated the incident to her mother, who lodged a complaint with the local AWPS. An FIR was registered and the man was arrested.