Pocso Act: Man sentenced to five years in prison for sexually abusing a three-year-old in 2022 | Mumbai News

THANE: A 43-year-old man from Diva has been found guilty and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act for sexually abusing a three-year-old girl in 2022.

Special Pocso Act Judge DS Deshmukh delivered the verdict on Saturday, convicting the man of aggravated sexual assault under Section 6 of the Pocso Act.

The prosecutor told the court that the incident occurred on September 17, 2022. The convict and the victim know each other as neighbors. At around 6 p.m. that day, the convict lured the young girl into his house while she was playing outside and subsequently sexually abused her.

The toddler reported this heinous act to his parents, who then filed a complaint at Mumbra police station. The accused was subsequently arrested and brought to court.

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In his judgment, Judge Deshmukh found that the prosecution had succeeded in proving all the charges against the accused beyond reasonable doubt, which justified conviction and sentence.

Judicial police officer Vidhyasagar Koli of Mumbra police station confirmed that five prosecution witnesses were examined during the trial. Though the victim herself could not testify due to her young age, her parents provided important testimony which helped in the conviction.

In addition to the sentence, the judge imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the accused. The judge ordered that the fine be awarded to the victim as compensation and referred the case to the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) for additional appropriate compensation commensurate with the gravity of the offence.