Mumbai: A special court has sentenced a 60-year-old man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for repeatedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old cousin of his wife who was living with them, leading to her getting pregnant and giving birth to a female child.
The teen had come from Bihar to live with the couple and was four months pregnant when the assault came to light. She had initially blamed a fictional ‘Danish’ when the pregnancy came to light. Prosecutor Veena Shelar said the victim explained in court during her testimony that she didn’t reveal the accused’s name as he had threatened to kill her as well as her cousin.
DNA report indicates accused is the biological father of the child
The court considered the testimony as well as the medical and DNA evidence. The judgment said the DNA report clearly shows that the accused is the biological father of the child. The court concluded that he had committed penetrative sexual assault upon the teen.
After the accused was found guilty, he requested the court that he had been in custody since 2016 and sought leniency saying he has already spent seven years in prison. The special court designated under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) said the victim was hardly 14 years of age when the crime was committed and such heinous acts have cast a lifelong psychological and emotional impact on the victim.
Special Judge SC Jadhav also imposed a fine of Rs20,000 on the man. The court further recommended the case to the District Legal Services Authority for compensation to the victim.
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