Man sentenced to 10-year jail term for raping 7-year-old boy

MUMBAI: A special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court on Monday sentenced a 30-year-old man to 10 years’ imprisonment for raping a minor boy in 2015

MUMBAI: A special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court on Monday sentenced a 30-year-old man to 10 years’ imprisonment for raping a minor boy in 2015.

Man sentenced to 10-year jail term for raping 7-year-old boy

On September 5, 2015, the convict, a resident of Dharavi, took the 7-year-old boy, who was playing outside with his friends, to a terrace under the pretext of showing him a white pigeon. According to the FIR, the man then raped the boy, even as he was shouting in pain. Later the boy went home and confided in his father about the incident. When his father went to the terrace to inquire, a woman staying nearby told him she saw the man and his son together. Following this, a case was registered against the accused on September 30, 2015, at the Dharavi police station.

The prosecution examined six witnesses in the case, including the boy and his father. The boy deposed before the court that he was playing with his friends when the incident took place.

The defence submitted that the accused was falsely implicated in the case due to the conflicts between boy’s father and accused’s mother. The defence further argued that the incident is not believable as medical aid was not immediately secured for the boy.

The special POCSO court said, “The said evidence supports the prosecution case about the penetrative sexual assault upon the victim. There is no reason to disbelieve the evidence lead by the prosecution.” The special judge Priya P Bankar said that there was nothing on record to show that the accused was falsely implicated in the case.

The defence then sought leniency in sentencing on account of the poor economic condition of the accused, who also has his aged mother to look after.

“The incident will leave a scar in the mind of victim for a long period, and he may not be in a position to live normal life. He will remain under stress and pressure. The incident also involved moral turpitude,” said the court, as it sentenced the accused to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹20,000 on him.