Manjeri (Kerala): A special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court in Manjeri, Kerala, has sentenced a couple to 180 years of imprisonment each for repeated sexual assault of a minor.
They will also have to pay a fine of Rs 11.75 years each, failing which their sentences will get enhanced by 20 years.
The case dates back to 2019 when a woman from Thiruvananthapuram eloped with her lover to Malappuram. She took along her 11-year-old daughter. They started living in a rented cottage there.
According to special public prosecutor A Somasundaram, the woman’s lover repeatedly sexually assaulted the girl with the mother’s help for two years between 2019 and 2021.
The prosecution also told the court that the man, originally from Palakkad, intimidated the child by telling her that a hidden camera had been implanted in her head and that any attempt to reveal the abuse would be detected. She was also given alcohol before being sexually assaulted.
“The two accused also committed sexual intercourse in the presence of the girl. They committed offences as per the POCSO Act, as well as the Juvenile Justice Act. The Court has now convicted both the accused to 180 years of rigorous imprisonment as well as Rs 11.75 lakh as fine,” the special PP said.
The mother of the child not only abetted the crime, but also encouraged the brutality, the court was informed.
The case was investigated under multiple sections of the IPC, POCSO Act, and Juvenile Justice Act, he said, adding that the fines, if paid, will go to the minor.
Special POCSO Court Judge Ashraf A M passed the verdict on Tuesday under various sections.
Both convicts have been ordered to be moved to Tavanur Jail to serve their sentences.
