Mumbai: A special POCSO court has sentenced a 38-year-old Bhandup resident to 20 years’ imprisonment for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl.
The prosecution claimed that in January 2020, the accused called the girl, who lived in the neighbourhood, to his house and sexually assaulted her. He later told her not tell anyone. The victim’s mother noticed some change in her behaviour. She also received complaints from her school and tuition class.
Thereafter, the mother asked the girl and she told her what had happened.. Then mother examined her private parts and noticed some swelling. The next day, the mother took her to the doctor. The doctors confirmed that the victim was subjected to sexual assault. Thereafter, the mother lodged a complaint with Bhandup police station.
The trial was conducted by Jyoti Sawant and Kalpana Hire who examined 10 witnesses, including the girl, her mother, her school headmistress and the doctor who examined her.
The man claimed that he had been implicated because he had fought with the girl’s family. The court discarded the allegations and made a note of the condition of the victim.
“When the victim was taken to the court hall for the first time for the purpose of identification, she remained silent and nodded her head,” the court said.
“But after that the victim was taken inside and allowed to sit. After offering water to her, she was asked that whether she can identify the accused from the place where the interpreter is sitting. She answered that she could identify the accused. The victim clearly identified the accused by standing near the interpreter’s chair,” the court said.
The court said the girl had initially been scared because of the presence of the accused in court. “When she was given time to settle down, and made to stand behind the interpreter’s table, she identified the accused,” it observed.
With this the court found the neighbour guilty of sexual assault and sentenced him to 20 years’ imprisonment.
