Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu): A Special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Court in Tamil Nadu has pronounced a preacher guilty of sexually abusing minors and awarded him four death sentences.
Preacher S Abraham (47) ran a Christian prayer church at Mela Ilanthaikulam near Gangaikondan Thevarkulam in the Tirunelveli district. The survivors are aged 8, 12 and 13.
The Court found him guilty of luring the children to his prayer hall under the guise of conducting moral science, music and Bible classes during their school vacation. After committing the crime, he threatened the four girls of dire consequences if they revealed the abuse, according to the prosecution, as reported by PTI.
Abraham was arrested on July 5, 2022, following complaints by the survivors’ parents with the Tirunelveli Rural All Women Police.
The sexual abuse carried on for two years, the prosecution said. Abraham sexually assaulted the girls at his church during music classes and at deserted places in their neighbourhood.
In 2022, an eight-year-old girl from Thevarkulam complained of pain in her private parts. Her mother took her to a hospital, where she learned that the child had been sexually assaulted. After the disclosure, three other girls from the same extended family told their mothers that Abraham had sexually assaulted them too.
Special Court Judge K Suresh Kumar pronounced the capital punishment after finding the suspect “guilty beyond reasonable doubt” and classified the offence under the “rarest of rare” category on Thursday.
He awarded four death sentences – one count for each victim – and a cumulative fine of Rs 52,000, observing that Abraham preyed on the very children he was expected to guide and showed no genuine remorse.
The Court also directed the Tamil Nadu government to compensate the four survivors with a relief of Rs 10 lakh each.
