Kerala court sentences man to 20 years in jail for sexual assault of schoolgirl

A 22-year-old man was sentenced to 20 years in jail by a Kerala court on Tuesday for abducting and sexually assaulting a schoolgirl after befriending her on a social media platform.

Perumbavoor Fast Track Special Court Judge Dinesh M Pillai convicted and sentenced the accused to 20 years for the offence of penetrative sexual assault under Section 3 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The court also sentenced the accused to three years for the offence of sexual assault under section 7 of the POCSO Act, public prosecutor (PP) A Sindhu said.

It also imposed a fine of Rs 35,000 on the accused who was taken away to Viyyur central jail after the sentence was pronounced, the prosecutor said.

The schoolgirl was sexually assaulted in July 2022 within the limits of Thadiyittaparamba police station by the accused who hailed from Kollam district of the state.

The prosecutor said that the accused befriended the victim on a social media platform, got close to her and obtained her nude photographs through a messaging app.

Thereafter, he used the photographs to sexually assault the girl by threatening to circulate them on social media, the PP said.

Based on a complaint filed by the student's parents, the police registered a case, conducted an investigation and arrested the accused.