A special court designated under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on Tuesday sentenced a 54-year-old shopkeeper to ten years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a nine-year-old child who was playing by herself in a lane near her home in Bhandup in 2017.
Prosecutor Veena Shelar said that the child was acquainted with the man as she had seen him in the neighbourhood. She identified him in court during the trial. The court noted that the child, who was in Class 6 when she deposed, had been frightened when she had to identify the man. The court had then called her mother and grandfather to be with her to comfort her.
As per the complaint lodged by the child’s mother, a homemaker, the child had complained of blood in urine and revealed the ordeal to her only after some persuasion. The child had told her that she was playing with her friend in a nearby lane the previous day. Her friends’ father had come and taken them home. She had stayed back playing by herself. An 'uncle' had come and told her that he would drop her home. She had told him she would go home by herself, but he forcibly took her to his home. There, taking her to his bathroom, he had sexually assaulted her and threatened her to be quiet when she cried out in pain. He then warned her not to tell the matter to anyone, when she left his home.
Special POCSO Judge Seema Jadhav also imposed a fine of Rs. 8,000 on the man, in default of which, he would have to spend more time in prison. The court also recommended the case for compensation to the victim.
