A man was sentenced to prison for sexually abusing his daughter

Special Judge Rekha R. of the Thiruvananthapuram Fast Track Special Court (POCSO) on Saturday sentenced a Tamil Nadu native to 14 years in prison for sexually abusing his daughter.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 in connection with the incident in February 2023.

He was convicted of aggravated sexual assault punishable under Section 10 read with Section 9(l) and Section 10 read with Section 9(n) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). The sentences will run concurrently. Failure to pay the fine will attract an additional term of imprisonment of six months.

The court also recommended that the District Legal Services Authority pay adequate compensation to the survivor.

According to the chargesheet filed by Special Public Prosecutor Vijay Mohan RS, the 14-year-old survivor was living with her father at the time of the incident while her siblings were in her hometown in Tamil Nadu. The survivor was also subjected to constant torture during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Her mother had committed suicide after being frequently harassed by her husband. The family moved to Thiruvananthapuram after the incident, which occurred when the survivor was in Class 3.

The child initially hid her trauma, fearing that there would be no one to care for her. But the constant torture prompted her to tell her friends about her ordeal, who soon alerted her teachers. A complaint was then filed with the Peroorkada police. After the case was registered, the survivor dropped out of school and returned to Tamil Nadu.

The prosecution questioned nineteen witnesses, including the survivor’s sister. In addition, 24 documents and two physical objects were presented at the hearing.